Easy Blackberry Halloween Sangria

Why To Make This Halloween Sangria

Most red wine lovers will appreciate this simple cocktail. There are numerous reasons why to make it:

• This Halloween sangria is tasty and refreshing and contains seasonal ingredients, such as blackberries, grapes and pears.
• It's easy to scale up - which makes it ideal for large gatherings and parties.
• You have control over how strong it will be - add as much or as little brandy and orange juice as you like, this Halloween cocktail will still taste great.
• It is friendly to your wallet, as all of the ingredients are fairly common, and this recipe works especially well with affordable wine.
• You can make it ahead. Mix all of the liquid contents and leave to chil in the fridge for 3 up to 6 hours. See Top Tips section for more details.

Looking for more recipes like this? Try this boozy homemade Irish cappuccino.

If you are in search of non-alcoholic drink recipes, try this strawberry mojito mocktail or this delicious pumpkin spiced iced latte, iced mocha latte and iced caramel latte.

Key Ingredients

Sangria is a cocktail made of Spanish red wine, juice, brandy and citrus fruit. For this recipe, you will need:

• Light and fruity red wine - Rioja, Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir and their alternatives are the best. Search for budget-friendly wines that are light to medium-bodied, fruity and sweet but also tangy.
• Orange juice - fresh one or one from concentrate, both will work here. Juice will help lighten this cocktail without watering it down. It will also add to the fruity and citrusy flavours.
• Seasonal fruit - blackberries and seedless grapes (green, red or black) will add to the dramatic look of this drink. Pears will add texture and oranges even more tartness. Save a slice or two for serving.
• Brandy - feel free to use any brand that is available to you. Always remember to drink responsibly. You can also omit adding this spirit if you prefer a lighter option of your cocktail.
• Blackcurrant syrup, simple syrup or sugar - another optional ingredient. Add if you wish to sweeten up your sangria (the orange juice can be too sour sometimes).

Substitutes and Variations

Are you missing any of the ingredients in this recipe? Don't worry, here are some tips and ideas on their substitutes:

• Use cranberry, blackcurrant or apple juice instead of orange juice. Both cranberry and blackcurrant juice will help intensify the dark color of this cocktail. Use unsweetened varieties if you can.
• Swap blackberries and pears for other seasonal fruit - blueberries, raspberries and apples will also work well in this recipe.
• Lime or blood oranges will be a great replacement for classic oranges - add a dash of syrup to the cockatil if it needs a little bit of sweetening.

Fancy mixing up the flavours? Try one of these varieties:

• Make it spicy and festive by adding two cinnamon sticks to the sangria before chilling.
• Swap brandy for vodka, cognac, rum or triple sec. They all mix well with red wine and juice.
• Add 100-200ml of sparkling water (soda) or diet lemonade if you prefer a fizzy drink. Add this just before serving, otherwise, the bubbles will go flat.

How To Make This Sangria

This popular spooky cocktail takes only a few easy steps and less than 10 minutes to make:

1. Prepare the fruit and add it to a pitcher (jug).
2. Add wine, juice, brandy and syrup (if using).
3. Leave to chill for at least a couple of hours so that the flavours can combine well.
4. Serve with a slice of orange.

Top Tips

1. When making this Halloween sangria in advance, mix all liquid ingredients together with sliced fruit and leave to rest in the fridge. The flavours will combine beautifully and you can leave it chilling for up to 24 hours. Add grapes, berries and citrus fruit just before serving to prevent it from going mushy and bitter. On the other hand, the fruit will need longer to absorb the flavours of the wine and brandy, so the longer you leave it soaked, the richer taste it will have.
2. Ice is optional in this recipe. If you wish to serve it super chilled, pop the fruit bits (all except citruses) in a freezer bag and freeze for several hours. Add the frozen fruit into your sangria just before serving for extra boost of cold - the fruit will act as natural ice cubes.

What to Serve Halloween Sangria with?

You will enjoy this red wine cocktail with a meat and cheese platter, pasta or grilled red meat.

Storage

Uncovered, sangria will keep it in the fridge for 3 to 6 hours.

The added fruit will taste richer the longer it's soaked in the sangria. Although it can also go very mushy. If you prefer for the fruit to have a little bit of crunchy texture, add it up to 3 hours before serving.

To prevent the citruses from going bitter, add them to the sangria for 2 to 3 hours or just before serving.

You can make this sangria up to 24 hours ahead, however, to preserve the flavours, it is better to cover it with a cling film (plastic wrap) or keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.

You can also freeze any leftover sangria. Just scoop it up in an ice cube tray and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Leave to thaw before serving.

FAQs

More Halloween Recipes

• Chocolate candy apples
• Pumpkin soup with carrot
• Pizza with butternut squash and goats cheese
• Sausage casserole with pearl barley (crockpot recipe)