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This Halloween sangria recipe is a spooky drink that’s ideal for parties! Whip up a pitcher to impress everyone.
Looking for a spooky drink to impress? Try this Halloween sangria! I am all about scary Halloween cocktails, and this one is a new favorite. Pair red wine with cinnamon sugar, fruit, and sparkling cider for a tasty drink that everyone will love!
The best part? Rim the glasses with DIY colored sugar and top with fun cocktail picks. The flavor is pure, bold, and lightly cinnamon-spiced, and I’ve got two variations for a sweeter or drier drink!
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This will be the third year I’ve made this for our neighborhood Halloween party, and everyone loves it. Last year, they ended up sending someone to the store to get more cider so I could make a third batch. :)” -Wendy B.
What You’ll Need
Sangría is a traditional wine punch originating in Spain. The classic version is made with red wine and chopped fruit, and often orange juice or brandy. Many American spins add loads of sugar to this drink, which is traditionally quite dry and nuanced.
This Halloween sangria is in the style of the traditional Spanish drink, but I’ve got a variation that is a little sweeter for those who like sweeter drinks. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Apple
- Blood oranges
- Granulated sugar
- Cinnamon
- Dry red wine, such as Rioja
- Sparkling cider (dry variation) or ginger ale (sweet variation)
- Ice, for serving
- Colored sugar and Halloween cocktail picks, for the garnish (optional)
Make Halloween Sangria the Spanish Way
This Halloween sangria method is inspired by my favorite Spanish chef, José Andrés. Chef Andrés is from Spain and has started many successful restaurants here in the US. Per Chef Andrés, this is the “Spanish” way to make this wine punch:
- Macerate fruit for 20 minutes: Mix the sangria fruit with sugar, then let it macerate or stand at room temperature until the fruit breaks down. This helps the fruit flavors permeate the wine even more.
- Add liquids: Add the red wine.
- Refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours. This allows the flavors to meld and develop.
- Serve with bubbles. Traditional Spanish sangria uses soda water, but here you’ll add sparkling cider or ginger ale to the glass when serving!
Customize the Sweetness
My addition to the Spanish sangria formula? When serving, mix the red wine mixture with sparkling apple cider or ginger ale. This sweetens the drink and adds bubbles! The sparkling apple cider makes for a dry flavor, whereas the ginger ale makes for a sweeter drink.
Another way to customize the sweetness? Use a fruity, sweet red wine instead of a dry red wine.
Drink Garnishes
The best part of this Halloween sangria? The drink garnishes! Use mine, or get creative with some of your own ideas. Here’s what I did:
- Make DIY colored sugar. A colored sugar rim makes the look! Use purchased sugar or follow my DIY colored sugar tutorial for instructions. I made both orange and purple for a festive look.
- Use an orange slice and festive cocktail picks. These Halloween cocktail picks (aka cupcake toppers) really set the tone! I used a blood orange slice to fasten the cocktail picks. If you can’t find them, a regular orange works just as well!
This Halloween sangria is perfect for parties because it makes a big pitcher to share. Try it out, or try a Halloween margarita pitcher if you’re a tequila lover!
Dietary Notes
This recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Halloween Sangria
This Halloween Sangria recipe is a spooky drink that’s ideal for parties! Whip up a pitcher to impress everyone.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Rest Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 apple
- 2 blood oranges, plus 2 more for garnish
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 750 ml bottle dry red wine, such as Rioja
- 1 750 ml bottle sparkling cider (or ginger ale for a sweeter sangria)
- Ice, for serving
- For the garnish: colored sugar, Halloween cocktail picks (optional)
Instructions
- Thinly slice the apple and orange. Place them into a medium bowl and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Transfer to a large pitcher. Allow to stand for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Pour in the red wine. Stir and refrigerate for 1 hour, or as long as 4 hours. (Don’t go beyond 4 hours or the fruit texture starts to degrade.)
- If desired, place colored sugar on a plate, wet the rims of the glasses, and dip them into the sugar (DIY or purchased; I made orange and purple).
- To serve, fill a glass with ice. Fill halfway with sparkling apple cider, then halfway with red wine mixture (or you can pour them both together in a pitcher). Or, add the wine mixture to a glass and top off with ginger ale.
- Garnish with blood orange slices and Halloween cocktail picks. When you’ve polished off the sangria, you can snack on the sweetened fruit.
This will be third year I’ve made this for our neighborhood Halloween party, and everyone loves it. Last year, they ended up sending someone to the store to get more cider so I could make a third batch. :)
great idea for tomorrow night, a sangria that I didn’t even know that I needed, thank you!
Let us know if you have any questions!