Black Sangria is a dark and mysterious cocktail to serve for Halloween that includes red wine, brandy and dark fruits such as plums, grapes, and blackberries.
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Looking for a refreshing and unique holiday twist on traditional sangria? Look no further than this delicious Black Sangria! This visually stunning drink is perfect for Halloween, with its deep, rich color and bold flavor.
Sangria can be a great cocktail for a party because you can mix it up in large batches to be served from a pitcher. With small tweaks you can change it to fit just about any setting. This sangria is perfect for Halloween with its use of dark red and black ingredients.
What’s in Sangria?
It should be noted that sangria can be made with red, white or rose wine. There’s no rule that it has to be made with red.
The basic ingredients you’ll need to make a sangria are:
- A pitcher big enough to hold a bottle of wine and fruit.
- A bottle of wine, preferably something fruity with low tannins
- Fresh fruit (citrus works best – oranges, lemons, limes, apples)
- A sweetener, like sugar, maple syrup or my preferred, agave syrup
- Brandy (this is optional, but I mean, why not)
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Dark red wine – Choose a dark red wine to help with the color theme of the drink. See below for different wines to choose.
- Brandy – Don’t choose an expensive bottle because it will be mixed in with other things. See below for more information.
- Simple syrup – Simple syrup is generally 50/50 sugar to water. You could also use honey or agave though these will add flavor where simple syrup just adds sweetness. For something different try using this blackberry simple syrup.
- Fruit – Plums, grapes, blackberries. Try to choose the darkest fruit available.
- Sparkling water
What Brandy To Use
When it comes to choosing a brandy for sangria, it’s best to go for a brandy that is not too expensive, but still has a good quality and flavor. Some good options include Torres 5, Fundador, and Carlos I.
These brandies are all reasonably priced and have a smooth, mellow flavor that works well in sangria. Ultimately, the choice of brandy will depend on your personal preference and the other ingredients in your sangria recipe.
What Wine To Use For Sangria?
It’s not important to buy an expensive bottle of wine for sangria. The flavors will be masked slightly by the fruit and brandy, so a cheaper bottle is just fine. Don’t waste your high-end wine on this.
I typically use a red from Spain to make Sangria. It just feels right. In Spain, they’d be using a red table wine that was new and not aged. And in Spain, that table wine would cost just 1 or 2 euros per bottle. Wish we were there!
Alas, we’re not, but it’s still possible to buy red wine from Spain, like a Rioja or a tempranillo from another region, for under $10. If you can find Rioja, go for a joven or crianza (which signifies how young they are). These are cheaper and have less tannins to make the sangria astringent or chalky.
If you can’t find a Rioja or tempranillo, you can expand your selection to include a garnacha a pinot noir, or even a fruity Zinfandel or Primitivo.
The wines you don’t want to use are aged wines with high levels of tannins, like a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Bordeaux or Burgundy.
How to Make Black Sangria
To make the sangria, start by chopping up the fruit.
There are two schools of thought on this. You can leave the fruit in larger pieces that will stay in the pitcher when the wine is poured, or you can chop them into small cubes that can be poured into the glass and eaten.
I prefer smaller pieces that can be poured into the glass. So I cube the plums into small bits and slice the grapes and blackberries in half.
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Put all of the fruit into the pitcher. Pour in the wine, brandy, sparkling water, and simple syrup. Stir it all up. Then refrigerate it for a couple of hours to allow the flavors to meld and the fruity to get all mixed in.
That’s all there is to it! Cheers.
OTHER COCKTAILS TO TRY
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Black Sangria
Black Sangria is a dark and mysterious cocktail to serve for Halloween that includes red wine, brandy and dark fruits such as plums, grapes, and blackberries.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle dark red wine
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 1/4 cup simple syrup
- 3 black plums, washed and sliced
- 1 cup black grapes, washed
- 8 ounces blackberries, washed
- 1 cup sparkling water
Instructions
- Start by cutting the fruit. Chop the plums into small bite sized pieces and cut the grapes and blackberries in half.
- Add all ingredients to a pitcher and stir well.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to meld the flavors. The longer it sits, the darker it will become.
- Serve cold.
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When not mixing up delicious cocktails to enjoy on the patio with friends, Angela is busy writing about food and drinks for three popular food websites, and exchanging creative ideas on social media.