This spooky blackberry Halloween sangria recipe is made with red wine, triple sec and blackberry brandy along with fresh fruit. And it has a ghostly garnish that makes it perfect for a Halloween party.
Sangria is one of my favorite drinks to serve for a party.
It’s easy to make, is made in big batches (like a punch) and should be prepared ahead of time for the best flavor. Which checks off all the boxes for a good party cocktail in my books.
This Halloween sangria is no different.
It combines orange and blackberry with red wine. So it has a lot of fruit flavors that taste great together.
The blackberry brandy turns the color darker making this sangria recipe look like more of a Halloween cocktail.
And we’ve topped it off with a ghost garnish (made from pears) that really stands out against the dark background.
This spooky sangria is the perfect Halloween drink for a party!
Ingredients
Here’s your shopping list:
- fresh fruit – 2 pints blackberries, 2 oranges, 3 pears. Plus extras for garnish if desired.
- wine – 1.5 liter bottle of red wine – A dry red wine is the traditional choice for Sangria, but you can use whatever wine you like.
- liquor – 1/2 cup blackberry brandy, 1/2 cup orange liqueur (I used Triple Sec)
- lemon juice – If you are making the ghost garnish ahead of time, sprinkling them with lemon juice will help to prevent them from turning brown.
- frozen blackberries (optional) – I like to use these instead of ice when serving.
Substitutions
- You can use regular brandy instead of the blackberry flavored one but the Sangria will have less of the blackberry flavor. You could also eliminate the brandy altogether if you don’t want it to be as strong.
- Grand Marnier or Cointreau will work instead of the Triple Sec.
- For a version with less alcohol, substitute 1/2 cup orange juice for the orange liqueur.
How to make spooky Halloween sangria
1 | Prep work
Slice the oranges. If you are going to be soaking the fruit in the wine mixture for more than a couple of hours, you’ll want to peel them as well. Otherwise, they can add a bitter flavor to the drink.
Slice one of the pears.
Add the sliced oranges and pears to a large pitcher along with the blackberries.
2 | Make the ghost garnish
We’ll make ghosts out of the last 2 pears:
- Cut thin vertical slices starting on one side of the pear and working your way in towards the middle. Stop when you get to the seeds. Then do the same on the other side.
- Cut the slices into ghost shapes. Some of them may be fine as is. If not, cut the bottom straight across leaving the top rounded. If your pears are large, you may be able to get 2 ghosts out of one slice by cutting it in half and shaping both sides.
- Use a paring knife to cut eyes and a mouth out of each ghost.
Keep a few of the ghosts to put in the pitcher, and save the rest to use as garnish when you’re serving.
To do this, put them in an airtight container (or wrap them in plastic wrap) and store them in the refrigerator. To prevent the cut pears from turning brown, sprinkle them with a little lemon juice before storing.
3 | Put it together
Put the sangria together by pouring the bottle of red wine, 1/2 cup triple sec and 1/2 cup blackberry brandy on top of the fruit in the pitcher and stir.
Then add a few of the ghost pears to the top of the mixture.
The ghosts will soak up some of the red wine and turn a pinkish color after they have been in the wine for a while. If you want to prevent this, don’t add them to the sangria mixture until closer to serving time.
Do not put ice in the pitcher as it will water down the sangria which doesn’t taste as good.
4 | Chill
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
I don’t like to leave the fruit in much longer than that or they will start to go soggy and get really discolored. Which doesn’t look very appetizing.
How to serve spooky Halloween sangria
To serve, add some ice or frozen blackberries to the glass. I prefer the frozen fruit since they add more of the blackberry flavor and color as they thaw.
Then fill the glass up with the Halloween sangria.
You can pour fruit into the glass from the pitcher. Or add some fresh blackberries, orange and pear slices if you prefer.
Finally, add one of your pear ghosts to the top.
Other Halloween recipes you might like
- The best fall sangria recipes
- Spooky Halloween cocktails
- The best Halloween jello shots
- Halloween appetizers
- Halloween cupcakes
Spooky Blackberry Halloween Sangria With Red Wine
Ingredients
- 2 pints blackberries plus more for garnish if desired
- 2 oranges plus more for garnish if desired
- 3 pears plus more for garnish if desired
- 1.5 liter bottle red wine
- ½ cup blackberry brandy
- ½ cup triple sec
- 1 lemon
- 1 package frozen blackberries optional for serving
- ice for serving
Equipment
- knife
- pitcher
- measuring cup
- airtight container or plastic wrap
Instructions
- Slice one pear and both oranges, and add to a pitcher with the blackberries.
- Pour the wine and liquors into pitcher.
- Slice the remaining 2 pears from top to bottom. Discard the middle section that has seeds.
- Use a paring knife to cut each slice into a ghost shape and add holes for eyes and mouth.
- Add a few of the pear ghosts to the top of the pitcher.
- Put the rest of the ghosts in an air tight container (or wrap in plastic wrap) and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Sprinkling them with a lemon juice will prevent them from turning brown.
- Refrigerate the sangria for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
- To serve, put frozen blackberries (or ice) in the glass, add fresh fruit (if desired), pour in the sangria and float a ghost pear on the top.
Notes
- A dry red wine is traditional for sangria, but use whatever wine you like.
- If you are going to be soaking the fruit for more than 2 hours, you will want to peel the oranges. Otherwise the rind can add a bitter flavor to the sangria.
- Do not add ice to the pitcher as it will water down the drink.
- Serving the sangria with frozen blackberries instead of ice will add more blackberry flavor and color as they thaw.
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Have comments or questions about our spooky blackberry Halloween sangria? Tell us in the section below.
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This post was originally published on September 12, 2021 but was updated with new content on March 19, 2024.
This was an amazing drink. This may go without saying but be careful around your furniture with this drink. I may have spilled a bit on my white sofa and had to call professional furniture cleaners in. Besides that this drink was perfect!