Black Sangria
Prepped in under 15 minutes, this refreshing sangria can be made ahead of time for entertaining. To learn how to make this cocktail recipe, take a look at the Step by Step Instructions below. For more recipe variations, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in this recipe’s Blog Comments & Tips.
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BLACK SANGRIA
Ingredients
Instructions
- Wash all fresh fruit, and dry thoroughly. Cut plums into ¼ inch slices. Then halve grapes lengthwise.
- To a large glass pitcher (64 ounces or more), add sliced plums and grapes, blackberries, blueberries, red wine, blueberry juice, brandy, and agave nectar. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Cover pitcher, and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours (for best results refrigerate 8 hours or overnight).
- When ready to serve, fill wine glasses half full with ice cubes, add some of the infused fruit from the pitcher, and pour sangria over ice. For the garnish, skewer cocktail picks (try these cocktail picks for Halloween) with a variety of the infused fruit, and garnish each glass. Enjoy!
Notes
- To get the best results, use organic fruit.
- I recommend using a good bottle of either Tempranillo or Zinfandel wine for this sangria recipe.
- 100% pure blueberry or blackberry juice is best in this recipe (like Pomona organic cold pressed blackberry juice, best to buy in bulk), but you can use a juice blend without added sugars (like cranberry-blackberry juice, or cranberry-concord grape juice).
- If the sangria is too strong for your taste, you can dilute it by topping each glass with sparkling water or club soda (about 1 ounce per glass).
- Recipe can be made ahead of time.
- Makes about 6 servings.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
246.07Fat (grams)
0.35Sat. Fat (grams)
0.02Carbs (grams)
29.93Fiber (grams)
2.42Net carbs
27.5Sugar (grams)
22.98Protein (grams)
0.94Sodium (milligrams)
18.19Cholesterol (grams)
0Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods. Even though you will likely not consume all the fruit, it is included in the nutritional calculations.
Step by Step Instructions
STEP 1
Wash all fresh fruit, and dry thoroughly. Cut 2 black plums (or red plums) into ¼ inch slices. Then halve 1 cup black seedless grapes lengthwise.
STEP 2a
To a large glass pitcher (64 ounces or more), add 1 cup fresh blueberries, sliced grapes, 1 cup fresh blackberries, and sliced plums.
Note: You can also halve the blueberries.
STEP 2b
Add one 750ml bottle of red wine (25.4 ounces - see Note A below), 1 cup pure blueberry juice (for other options, see Note B below), ⅓ cup brandy, and ⅓ cup agave nectar. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Cover pitcher, and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours (for best results refrigerate 8 hours or overnight).
Note A: You can use your favorite fruit forward red wine, but I also think a good bottle of either Tempranillo or Zinfandel wine works well for this sangria recipe.
Note B: 100% pure pure blueberry juice, Pom pomegranate juice, or blackberry juice are best in this recipe (like Pomona organic cold pressed blackberry juice, it’s best to buy in bulk), but you can also use a juice blend without added sugars (like cranberry-blackberry juice, or cranberry-concord grape juice).
Notes:
If the sangria is too strong for your taste, you can dilute it by topping each glass with sparkling water or club soda (about 1 ounce per glass).
Recipe can be made ahead of time!
Makes about 6 servings (up to 8 smaller servings).
VIDEO
How to Make this Refreshing Black Sangria Recipe!
Blog Comments & Tips
Rich in color and in Flavor!
Surprisingly, this recipe took a few tries to it just right, but I finally landed on the right balance of ingredients. This Black Sangria recipe uses no refined sugar, and is rich in color and in flavor. Beautiful, organic blackberries, black plums, black grapes, and blueberries are macerated in a mixture of bold red wine, brandy, blueberry juice, and agave nectar. This sangria is then refrigerated for a minimum of 2 hours. For a more fruity sangria, I recommend refrigerating about 8 hours or overnight.
Although I was inspired by Halloween when making this cocktail (hence the color and ghoulish cocktail picks), I found this to be the perfect make ahead cocktail for entertaining any time of year. Just have the garnishes ready in advance, and pour each ice filled glass as your guests arrive. Whether you are serving this cocktail during warm weather months, your summer gathering, or your Halloween party, it will be a crowd pleaser. Just garnish according to the season or holiday!
How do you ensure the best results from our recipe?
My 5 tips to making a delicious Black Sangria:
High quality ingredients like fresh organic fruit (do not use frozen), and a delicious bold red wine.
Don’t use a cheap red wine, as it will come through in the flavor of the sangria. It doesn’t have to be expensive, just a wine that you would enjoy drinking on its own.
To sweeten this cocktail, I prefer the smooth, warm flavor of agave nectar. However, you can substitute with simple syrup or superfine sugar. See the Pimp My Recipe section below for details.
Use a pure juice that has no added sugars. 100% pure blueberry juice, blackberry juice, or pomegranate juice are best in this recipe (like Pomona organic cold pressed blackberry juice, or Pom pomegranate juice). You can also use a juice blend without added sugars (like cranberry-blackberry juice, or cranberry-concord grape juice).
Cover your pitcher (so it doesn’t absorb the refrigerator odors), and refrigerate overnight for best results.
It’s time to customize and Pimp My Recipe.
Pimp My Recipe:
Make it Sweeter: For a sweeter sangria, I suggest increasing to ½ cup agave nectar, or to taste.
Don’t Like Agave? Replace the ⅓ cup of agave nectar with ⅔ cup of simple syrup, or superfine sugar. If using sugar, make sure you stir the sangria well until the sugar is dissolved, before refrigerating.
Wine Taste Too Strong? Top off each glass of sangria with about 1 ounce of sparkling water or club soda. You can also add more or less to taste.
Enjoy and let me know what you think by commenting below, rating the recipes, subscribing, following, and liking Pimp My Recipe on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Santé!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to dry your fruit thoroughly after you wash it, as you don’t want to dilute the sangria with any water still on the fruit.
Adapted from the Black Sangria Recipe by Sugar and Charm. I changed up the quantities in their recipe, and added a few extra ingredients to make it my own. My sangria recipe is a bit unique & truly delicious.
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