Black Magic Sangria | A Halloween Sangria Recipe

This Black Magic Sangria is a perfect Halloween Sangria recipe or even a fall sangria recipe. It combines fruit and spices to make a beautiful blend. Save this recipe today!

I love sangria in the summertime and I love mulled wine in the winter, but I thought fall was the perfect time to kind of combine them and create a fall sangria that is spiced with cozy flavors and full bodied fruits. This Black Magic Sangria is just that! Technically, I made it as a Halloween sangria recipe for my Samhain Halloween table and Halloween buffet, but it is a true fall recipe that you can enjoy before and after the holiday.

Looking into wine and it’s witchy history

When I started diving into the history of Halloween, I came across an interesting story about Benandanti witches in Italy. It ties into a kind of harvest celebration and really kind of ties witches and magic to wine.

The Benandanti was an agrarian community in the 1500s, which is a group of people connected to the land and the harvest. Some believed they were more shamin-like with then grew into what we would see as traditional witches under pressure from inquisitors. with shamanic characteristics that gradually transformed under the pressure of the inquisitors to assume the features of traditional witchcraft.

The Italians believe that bad witches were interfering with their wine harvest by peeing in the bottles and barrels. They would call in the Bernadanti to battle the bad witches through the season and keep their wine pure. The Benadanti would shape shift and go into a trance in order to fight. If you didn’t have any Bernadanti friends, you needed to leave a bowl of water outside your home to ward off bad witches (who would take your wine instead then). They were considered heretics by the Inquisitions versus Satanic magic.

You can read more about the lore {HERE} and wiki {HERE}.

Creating Black Magic Sangria

When creating the Samhain table and the Halloween buffet table, I did a lot of research into what people would actually be eating and drinking during the holiday celebrations in October. And it revolved around a few themes.

1. Plenty of squash, apples and fall/winter fruit recipes.

2. Alcohol was almost often involved in the form of spice ciders, mead or wine.

3. A lot of spiced recipes as in spices drinks, spiced Pumpkin breads and more.

So to create this Black Magic Sangria I wanted to combine all those ideas too. I combined Cabernet Sauvignon, apple brandy, pomegranate juice, apple cider and a blackberry syrup to create the base for the fall Halloween sangria recipe. Then I added whole spices to create a cozy, fall-like flavor. This includes cinnamon, cloves and star anise. Lastly, I added whole fruits like blackberries and apples.

Need more Halloween recipes?

If you’re looking for more Halloween recipes, check out these below.

• Moon Spell Cookies {HERE}
• Soul Cakes {HERE}
• Candy Corn Rice Crispy Treat {HERE}
• Pumpkin Bread {HERE}
• Pumpkin Seeds {HERE}
• Spiced Cherry Apple Cider {HERE}

Tips for making this Halloween Sangria

• I make the Black Magic Sangria by the pitcher so it’s the perfect Halloween sangria for a party. It would even be delicious for Thanksgiving or Christmas too. You can get about 8 glasses of wine from one pitcher.
• Don’t use super cheap wine. A lot of people think sangria can be made using any old wine, and while that’s kind of true, you don’t want it be an ol’ cheap wine. Cheap wine equals cheap flavor. Pick a wine that’s at least around $25.
• There’s half a cup of brandy in this recipe and that’s because you just want the brandy there to bring out flavors. You don’t need a lot in the mix.
• Give the fruit and spices enough time to steep. Sangria is so good because the fruits included release juices into the mix and help to bring out sweet and fruity flavors. In this cases, the spices need some time too. When making this, steep for at least one hour prior to serving so all the ingredients can have a little time to mingle.
• If you’re using an open pitcher like mine, you can put it in the refrigerator. If you prefer it not to be cold, cover the pitcher so nothing gets into the wine. (Like fruit flies. Tis’ the season.)

Thank you so much for joining me today, friends! I hope that you loved this recipe for my Black Magic Sangria. Enjoy cozy season and I hope to see you back again!

Black Magic Sangria | A Halloween sangria recipe

This Black Magic Sangria is a perfect Halloween Sangria recipe or even a fall sangria recipe. It combines fruit and spices to make a beautiful blend. Save this recipe today!

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American, Spanish

Keyword: black magic sangria, fall sangria, fall sangria recipe, halloween sangria, halloween sangria recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 8 - 10 glasses

Author: Rachel

Equipment

• Drink pitcher

Ingredients

• 2 bottles red wine (Ideally Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 1/2 cup apple brandy
• 2 cups Pomegranate juice
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 cup blackberry syrup
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 6 star anis pods
• 6 cloves
• 1 apple, sliced
• 1 orange sliced
• 1/2 cup blackberries

Blackberry Syrup

• 1 bag frozen blackberries
• 3-4 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. water

Instructions

For making the blackberry syrup

• Combine the sugar, blackberries and water in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stirring constantly.
• Once the sugar has fully dissolved, add the lemon juice, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Cool completely on the stove and then add the syrup to a glass bottle and cover.

For making the Black Magic Sangria

• Combine all ingredients into a pitcher. Mix well
• Cover and steep for 1-2 hours. You can refrigerate if you like or leave on the counter.