When season two of With Love, Meghan premiered with three drink recipes—Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade, a Champagne Float, and a Lavender Grey Tea Latte—I was curious but cautious. I’m not a Duchess of Sussex superfan, but I respect a well-curated moment. These drinks promised exactly that—breezy elegance with a splash of California wellness, and enough visual flair to earn a spot on your Instagram feed.
On camera, Meghan doesn't measure a thing—she just swirls, pours, and garnishes like someone who casually has Oprah over for brunch. The Netflix site provides written ingredient lists and directions, but with a disclaimer: “This recipe was the inspiration for the one seen in With Love, Meghan.” In other words, you’re meant to follow the vibe, not the blueprint.
So, I grabbed my glassware, prepped my ice cubes, and testing each drink—using the provided recipes as a starting point but adjusting as needed to get things tasting right. (That’s my job in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, after all! I fix recipes so you're not wondering what went wrong.)
Some drinks were better than others. One made me stop mid-sip and say out loud, “Wait, why is this so good?” Here's what happened—and which drinks are worth making this weekend.
Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade
This drink in episode five looked the most like a Meghan mood board. It's as pink as the Montecito sunset, crowned with a sprig of basil, and practically begging to be sipped in a sundress. It’s a simple mix of fresh lemon juice, muddled raspberries, agave nectar, and soda water—Meghan makes a point of specifying soda water, not sparkling water, “because it really gives you that effervescent kick.”
Taste test
Think raspberry lemonade with a spa-day glow-up; this version is brighter, totally refreshed, and living its best life. I was genuinely wowed after the first sip. It was tangy, juicy-but-not-too-sweet, and super refreshing—shockingly sophisticated for something so easy. The muddled raspberries give it real body and depth—the kind you’d lose if you strained out the fruit. Even with ripe, peak-summer berries, the drink finishes dry, like a well-made spritz. And whereas most good mocktails rely on homemade syrups or days-long infusions to build complexity, this one took all of 10 minutes. Bonus: it looked just as great as it tasted. It's truly gorgeous in the wine glass.
Recipe vs. reality
What Meghan actually makes on the show is slightly different from the written recipe on the Netflix site , which calls for ¼ cup of raspberries. I rewatched the scene and counted 13 raspberries (that's closer to ½ cup). Doubling the amount made all the difference: the drink tasted fuller, more luxe, and perfectly balanced the tart lemon juice. Check out my perfected version of Meghan's sparkling raspberry lemonade recipe here.
Doing the most (optional, but highly recommended)
In true Duchess fashion, Meghan doesn’t stop at plain old ice cubes. She shows off a bowl of cubes embedded with lemon slices, rosemary, basil, and edible flowers. “They’re going to infuse the drink with flavor as they melt,” she promises. You don’t have to do this—the drink will still taste great without—but it’s such a simple upgrade. Meghan froze pansies; I went with nasturtiums. Whatever blooms you choose, they’ll make your lemonade look like it came straight off a boutique hotel welcome tray.
Worth it?
Definitely, yes! This is a drink that delivers maximum hosting cred with minimal prep. As Meghan says on the show, it's ideal “for my friends who don’t drink, I still want them to have something that feels really special, flavorful, and not just water.” It’s also perfect for baby showers, garden brunches, book club, or pretending you’re on Meghan’s patio with a gentle sea breeze blowing through your hair.
Champagne Float
I have always had a soft spot for floats. The ASMR fizz of ice cream falling into soda, striped straws…it brings to mind sticky summer days that felt like they could last forever. So in episode four, when I saw Meghan’s Champagne Float with a scoop of sorbet, I was all in. It seemed like a cheeky twist on something pure and joyfully simple. As she says to her guest, chef and author Samin Nosrat, “this is a grown-up root beer float”—albeit with better jewelry and a candle budget.
Recipe vs. reality
On the show, Meghan makes her Champagne Float with raspberry sorbet and a very elegant pour of gold-foil Taittinger—because why not, when your net worth is solidly eight figures? I started with a champagne commoners can afford and swapped in passion fruit sorbet (the Netflix recipe also suggests lemon sorbet). The combo sounded promising, but the result? Not so much.
The second the sorbet hit the dry champagne, it was like a record scratch. The sorbet was sweet, lush and fruity, making the champagne feel harshly dry and austere. The two clashed hard—like Martha Stewart and Cardi B doing a karaoke duet. All I could taste was alcohol and bitter disappointment.
So I started experimenting. A bottle of cava brought a little more balance, but still felt sharp. In the end, it was prosecco (not champagne) that hit all the right notes: bright, not-too-dry, and just fruity enough to round everything out. The one I poured had soft hints of lemon that played beautifully with the tropical tang of the passion fruit sorbet. It tasted like sunshine in a coupe—exactly the mood I was going for.
| What Meghan did | What I did |
|---|---|
| Scooped raspberry sorbet into a coupe | Scooped passion fruit sorbet into a chilled coupe (kept in freezer for 10 minutes before serving) |
| Poured Taittinger champagne on top | Poured Kirkland Signature Asolo Prosecco on top |
| Skipped the garnish (Netflix recipe suggests fresh berries, mint leaves, or edible flowers) | Garnished with a nasturtium |
Taste test
Once I found the right formula, the whole thing clicked. The prosecco and sorbet didn’t just get along—they lifted each other up. The drink was light, playful, and slightly indulgent without being over-the-top. It had the fizzy joy of a float and the subtle sophistication of a cocktail. One bite, and I felt like the version of me who doesn’t panic when friends drop by unannounced.
Worth it?
It’s a moment. You may want to consider serving it for engagement parties, when you’re too full for dessert but crave just a little something sweet, or any celebration where you want to feel fancy and make someone giggle. Not an everyday thing, but absolutely worth trying at least once—especially with a “no dessert for me” crowd.
Lavender Grey Tea Latte
In episode three, Meghan talks through the brunch menu she’s planning. “A nice fruit platter and, yes, we could do a good ole basic latte,” she says. Then her eyes light up as she offers an upgrade: “We could do a lavender grey latte. Doesn’t it just sound chic?” She was, after all, hosting Tan France—the Queer Eye fashion guru with impeccable taste and a mesmerizing British accent. Of course she wanted to serve a drink that felt elegant, a little unexpected, and just fussy enough to impress.
It sounds fancy, but it’s really just Earl Grey tea getting the latte treatment—steamed milk, a little froth, and a sprinkle of lavender for that soothing sleepy girl vibe. It’s a close cousin to a London Fog, which swaps the lavender for vanilla syrup or honey.
Taste test
This is Meghan in beverage form: calming, polished, and just a bit flowery. You have to be into floral flavors to enjoy it—the lavender is subtle, just a whisper—but that’s the sweet spot before it tips into potpourri territory. The bergamot from the Earl Grey and the lavender play well together, like a rom-com couple with great chemistry. It’s comforting, not cloying, and the kind of drink you make in the late afternoon when you want to relax and pretend your inbox doesn’t exist.
How long you steep the tea is up to you. I tried a 3-minute steep, which gave me a soft, delicate brew—just enough bergamot to notice, but without any of the tea’s tannins kicking in. Then I went for a 6-minute steep, which brought more body and a noticeable prickle of tannins. Both versions had their charm. I can see myself choosing the lighter one for late-afternoon wind-downs; the stronger one for weekend mornings when I want to treat myself without spending $9 at Starbucks.
Recipe vs. reality
This was the one drink where Meghan’s on-camera version felt a lot more relatable than the written Netflix recipe, which calls for making a syrup with a cup of sugar and a whole vanilla bean (in this economy?!). Instead, she stirs in a combo of vanilla extract and honey—quicker, easier, and over 7x cheaper. The shortcut costs about $0.90, while the full recipe clocks in at $6.50. Honestly, I’ll take the savings and finally splurge on the tea I’ve been side-eyeing at the bougie market.
For the fresh lavender, make sure it’s culinary grade and hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides—i.e., from a garden you trust or a source that sells it for consuming, not arranging. You can sometimes find it at farmers markets during peak season. Otherwise, go for a tiny pinch of dried lavender buds. They’re easy to find at specialty stores like Whole Foods or Sprouts, or online.
| What Meghan did | What I did |
|---|---|
| Heated whole milk in small saucepan with a splash of vanilla extract and a generous dribble of honey from the wand | Heated 1/2 cup whole milk in a small saucepan with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon honey |
| Steeped Earl Grey tea in a teapot and poured it into 2 mugs | Divided 2 Earl Grey tea bags (I used Teapigs Darjeeling Earl Grey) and 1½ cups boiling water between 2 mugs. Let it steep 3 to 6 minutes, then discarded the tea bags |
| Using a handheld milk frother, frothed the warmed milk and poured it over the mugs | Same |
| Crumbled fresh lavender buds over the latte | Same |
Worth it?
Absolutely. It's perfect for slow Sunday mornings, lazy afternoons, or anytime you want to feel like someone who organizes their pantry by color. Make it once and you’ll start craving it every time the temperature drops below 75.
Final thoughts
Considering how extra Meghan could have been, she showed remarkable restraint with these drinks. She isn’t reinventing the cocktail (or mocktail, or latte) wheel here—but she’s not trying to. They're more about the moment than the mixology. Stylish and seasonal, they're just aspirational enough to feel special without being intimidating or unattainable. No smoked rosemary, overnight tinctures, or extra gear. They impress without trying too hard or spending a ton of money.
If you’re hosting, make the Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade. If you’re celebrating, go Champagne Float. And if you’re nesting? Lavender Grey Tea Latte, hands down.
