Make the most of spooky season with a big pitcher of this spiced Halloween sangria! Red wine is flavored with orange liqueur, ginger liqueur, cinnamon sticks and fresh fruit and then topped with ginger ale for a bubbly finish. You’ll love that touch of spice to keep you warm and cozy on those cool fall nights, and it takes under 10 minutes to whip up a batch of this perfect party punch.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Get ready to fall in love with your new favorite Halloween cocktail. You’ll want to sip on this black sangria all October long.
- Shows off a spooky deep, dark hue to put you in the Halloween spirit.
- Keeps you feeling cozy with that touch of fall spice.
- Takes just minutes to mix and requires no advanced bartending skills.
- Makes about eight servings in a single batch and you can easily scale up if needed.
- Calls for make-ahead preparation to keep your hosting responsibilities simple.
Related: For more Halloween cocktails, you’ll also love this Black Widow Martini and spooky mezcal cocktail.
Ingredients
Pinot noir: Grab a bottle that you’d happily drink on its own but doesn’t cost a fortune. Since we’re adding other ingredients, we don’t want to use a fancy bottle of wine.
Orange liqueur: For a top-shelf sangria, Cointreau or Grand Marnier are great. Triple sec works for a more economical option.
Ginger liqueur: I love the ginger liqueur from Domaine de Canton. You can find it with the other speciality liqueurs.
Pomegranate juice: My preference is a 100% pomegranate juice rather than one made from concentrate. You can typically find this in the refrigerated section of the produce section.
Cinnamon sticks: Like in my holiday sangria, I love the touch of spice two to three cinnamon sticks add.
Soaking fruit: We use a combination of apples and oranges.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: We start by pouring the bottle of red wine, orange liqueur, ginger liqueur and pomegranate juice into a large pitcher (photo 1).
Step 2: Now we stir in our cinnamon sticks, apple slices and orange slices (photo 2). At this point, we can cover the sangria and refrigerate it until party time.
Step 3: Right before serving, we add the ginger ale and gently stir to combine (photo 3).
And that’s it! In three easy steps, our spooky sangria is ready for sipping.
How to Serve With Dried Ice
For an extra spooky effect, I love to serve this sangria with dried ice to create that creepy mist. Typically, I can get it at the customer service desk at my local grocery store.
While you can safely serve dry ice with drinks, you need to take some precautions.
- Buy food-grade dry ice the day you plan to use it.
- Do not touch dry ice with your bare skin. Wear gloves and use tongs when handling.
- As soon as you get home, drop the dry ice in its original sealed plastic bag on a hard surface to crush the ice.
- Place the bag in a cooler and cut open the plastic bag. Store the dry ice in the cooler with it cracked open to allow the carbon dioxide a place to escape.
- When it’s party time, you can add the dry ice to the pitcher or individual glasses before adding regular ice to ensure it sinks to the bottom.
- Only serve the sangria once it stops bubbling, which means the dry ice melted. You should never ingest dry ice in its solid state, but it’s fine once it’s melted.
- Use small pieces to prevent excessive bubbling.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe is designed to go with red wine, especially with the pomegranate juice, so I’d save your sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio for making my peach sangria.
While I love apples and oranges, you can also try black grapes, pear slices, blackberries, raspberries, cherries and strawberries. Any dark fruit adds to that Halloween night vibe.
Sure, you can turn this into a nonalcoholic sangria with a few tweaks. For the wine, you can grab a zero-proof wine or use more pomegranate juice or even cranberry juice in its place. You can easily swap the orange liqueur for orange juice, and more ginger ale can work in place for the ginger liqueur.
A pitcher of sangria calls for a fruit-forward red wine, which is what makes pinot noir perfect. For other options, you can try a grenache, zinfandel or tempranillo. A red blend of these also works.
While some sangria recipes call for simple syrup, this drink is plenty sweet without it. To me, it'd be cloying with an additional sweetener.
Of course, you're welcome to adjust this recipe to your taste, so you can add a syrup if you want it even sweeter but try it first. If you decide to add any simple syrup, I'd go with a spiced syrup, like my pumpkin spice syrup or ginger syrup.
Variations and Substitutions
Swap pomegranate juice: You can try cranberry juice, apple cider or pear nectar in its place. A combination works as well.
Ginger beer for more spice: I love ginger ale for the touch of sweetness, but ginger beer will give you a stronger spice kick.
Experiment with different liquors: I love the spice the ginger liqueur adds, but a blackberry liqueur or apple brandy works too.
Add garnishes for a fun Halloween drink: For instance, pomegranate arils add a nice texture, and they look creepy to make this a truly spooky Halloween sangria. Some gummy worms, edible eyeballs and plastic spiders also add an eerie touch.
Expert Tips
Don’t skip the chilling time: This is necessary to give the fruity flavors enough time to meld. Sangria is not meant to be served immediately.
Remove extra fruit if necessary: When you add the ginger ale, the pitcher may be tight on space. Just use a slotted spoon to remove some of the fruit right before adding the ginger ale.
Stir gently: When adding the ginger ale, vigorously stirring can deflate those delightful bubbles.
Serve with a cinnamon-sugar rim: This makes for a pretty presentation and additional touch of spice. To make a garnished rim, run an orange slice along the rim of the wine glass and then swirl it in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.
Perfect Pairing
If you’re serving this for a Halloween dinner party, you may want a nice fall meal on the side of your sangria. You’ll love these apple cider short ribs or apple cider pot roast. The touch of ginger works nicely with the apple cider, and that bubbly finish helps cut through those rich meats.
Or maybe you’re planning a more traditional Halloween and looking for some similarly spooky and festive treats. You can start the evening with a Halloween charcuterie board full of fall flavors, including this cute mummy Brie. After all, wine and charcuterie are a classic match, and those fruit juices pair nicely with the Brie.
Make it a frighteningly fun celebration with a pitcher of this spiced Halloween sangria. One delicious sip is sure to give you spine-chilling vibes.
Cheers!
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📖 Recipe
Halloween Sangria
Equipment
- Large pitcher
Ingredients
- 1 bottle pinot noir
- 2 cups pomegranate juice
- ½ cup ginger liqueur
- ½ cup triple sec
- 2 apples cored and sliced
- 1 orange sliced
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 (12-ounce) ginger ale can or bottle
- Dry ice for garnish, optional (see notes for important handling instructions)
Instructions
- In a large pitcher, stir together the pinot noir, pomegranate juice, ginger liqueur and triple sec.
- Add the apple slices, orange slices and cinnamon sticks. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Immediately before serving, pour in the ginger ale and gently stir to combine. If desired, add dry ice to the pitcher or glasses before adding ice. Pour the sangria into the ice-filled wine glasses. Serve only after the drink stops misting and bubbling if using dry ice. Enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Lauryn says
We had an early Halloween party this year, and this was a hit! Loved the ginger liqueur addition. Definitely making again next year.