This Bloody Eyeball Sangria Cocktail is a fun Halloween drink that’s fruity, subtly spiced, and surprisingly delicious. You won’t believe how easy it is to make, and simple it is to transform it into a mocktail!
A couple years ago my niece and I made a Murder Cake for Halloween. We went all out on it, and it was truly epic! (If you want, you can see more pictures of it here.)
It was a four-layer cake with alternating layers of fudgy brownies and red velvet cake with vanilla buttercream. It was decorated with sugar glass shards stabbing into the top, and edible blood oozing out.
Oh, it was a sight for sore eyes. As you can well imagine, it was horrific!
The truth is, we had so much fun with it. We wanted something spooky and grotesque and put a lot of creative thinking into it. And then we planned it. The making of it was quite a process too, and because it involved making candy (the sugar glass shards), it needed a bit of both science and finesse. It was a learning experience for both my niece and I.
Since then, I’ve wanted to make something else as creepy, gross, and Halloween-ish as that. The Murder Cake was the first Halloween recipe we made, and I’ll admit, we set the bar pretty high! I haven’t really come close to making anything as impressively repulsive since then.
That is, until these bloody eyeballs! You can use them in any number of different ways, for example, to decorate a cake or cupcakes, or as part of a Halloween party buffet line. But I think they’re absolutely perfect on top of a deep red-hued sangria cocktail for Halloween!
The Best Bloody Eyeball Sangria Cocktail Recipe
This Bloody Eyeball Sangria Cocktail recipe features the fruity full-bodied flavor of red wine, sweetness of cherry juice, and depth from spiced rum. By all means, if you don’t like rum, go with brandy and add a few cinnamon sticks. Or if you prefer a mocktail, check out the Recipe Notes for easy instructions on how to make this into a non-alcoholic Halloween drink.
And I’m completely certain that the eyes will surprise you – they’re made of canned lychee fruit, fresh blueberries, and cherry preserves, and are completely delicious!
This recipe has two components, the edible bloody eyeballs and the spiced sangria. Both are very easy to make!
Edible Bloody Eyeball Ingredients
- Canned whole lychee fruit in heavy syrup
- Cherry preserves
- Fresh blueberries
Spiced Sangria Cocktail Ingredients
- Red wine
- Cherry juice
- Spiced rum
How to Make Edible Bloody Eyeballs for Halloween
- Spoon about ⅓ teaspoon of cherry preserves into the cavity of each lychee fruit.
- Push 1 or 2 blueberries into the cavity of each lychee on top of the cherry preserves. (I like to use 2 blueberries so the top one almost looks like it’s popping out a little bit.)
Pro Tip
The cherry preserves start to seep out after 1 or 2 hours, so I recommend making these about an hour before you want to serve them.
How to Make a Sangria Cocktail
- Stir together all ingredients in a large pitcher.
- Chill for at least 2 hours, but up to 5 days.
How to Make a Bloody Eyeball Sangria Halloween Cocktail
- Pour the Spiced Sangria into glasses. You can use wine glasses, goblets, or whatever else you fancy.
- Skewer 2 Bloody Eyeballs on 1 toothpick.
- Serve each glass of Sangria topped with 1 toothpick of Bloody Eyeballs.
Tips for Making Edible Bloody Eyeballs for Halloween
- Technically, you can use any type of red jam or preserves you like to make edible bloody eyeballs with lychee fruit. However, my preference is cherry preserves for two reasons: 1) there are no seeds, and 2) the little bits of cherries look like blood clots. It’s disgusting, but absolutely perfect for the look we’re going for!
- In case you need a specific number of bloody eyeballs. Depending on how many lychee fruits are in the can, you should get about 20 to 25 bloody eyeballs from this recipe.
- These bloody eyeballs sink, they don’t float. This is why I skewer them and serve them on a toothpick on top of the drink.
- Make ahead. The eyeballs will taste ok for a couple days stored in the fridge. However, the cherry preserves start to seep out after 1 or 2 hours, so I recommend making these about an hour before you want to serve them. However, you can store the sangria for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Tips for Making a Halloween Cocktail
- Make these bloody eyeballs. They’re easy to make, and even if you don’t use them as a garnish for other Halloween drinks, you can put them in a dish nearby to really set the mood.
- Use dry ice. The “smoky” vibe from dry ice really helps up the creepy factor! You can put dry ice into your drinks, or put it in a shallow dish of water nearby for ambiance. (Remember to be careful with dry ice and never handle it with bare hands.)
- Make mocktails instead. If you’re having a kids Halloween party or just want to offer an alcohol-free option, it’s easy to make this cocktail into a mocktail. To do so, use pomegranate juice or cranberry juice instead of the red wine. Use ginger ale instead of the spiced rum.
Sangria Cocktail FAQs
What is Sangria Typically Made Of?
Traditionally, sangria is a type of punch made with wine and fruit. It’s also sometimes made with herbs or spices, and occasionally liquor, such as brandy or vermouth.
What is the Best Wine for Sangria?
Here are a few good red wine options for sangria:
- Garnacha (or Grenache)
- Tempranillo
- Pinot Noir
- Malbec
- Cabernet Sauvignon
Does Sangria Need to be Refrigerated?
Yes. Keep your sangria in a glass pitcher in the fridge.
Does Sangria Need to Refrigerate Overnight?
Like soup or stew, sangria is best if you let it sit for a little while so the flavors can blend.
Once you mix up the sangria, let it sit for at least 2 hours (or up to 5 days) in the fridge. Give it a quick stir when you want to serve it.
How Long Does Sangria Last in the Fridge?
You can store sangria in the fridge for up to 5 days.
More Halloween Recipes to Make
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies – A delicious fall twist on a classic favorite!
- Spider Eggs – These avocado and wasabi Halloween deviled eggs are a delicious appetizer and the method for dying the eggs is so clever!
- Witch Finger Cookies – These are the perfect combination of Halloween creepiness + sweet deliciousness.
- Polyjuice Potion – For the Harry Potter fans, this drink is sure to excite!
- Pumpkin Queso Dip with Spooky Dippers – Cheesy dip gets a little savory pumpkin flair, and the Halloween factor gets bumped up even more with homemade Halloween-shaped tortilla chips!
- Ghoulish Skull and Pumpkin Soup – Is it weird that I think this looks absolutely delicious?! Lol! All joking aside, the skulls and pumpkins are adorably spooky. And after eating a nutritious meal like this for dinner, it’s not so bad to indulge in a candy bar or two, right?
- Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cups – Whip these up instead of reaching for the Reese’s peanut butter cups in your kid’s Halloween candy loot!
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Bloody Eyeball Sangria Cocktail (A Spooky Halloween Cocktail Recipe)
Ingredients
Spiced Sangria:
- 750 ml red wine
- 2 cups cherry juice
- 1 cup spiced rum
Edible Bloody Eyeballs:
- 20 ounce can whole lychee fruit in heavy syrup drained
- 3 tablespoons cherry preserves
- ¼ cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
For the Bloody Eyeballs:
- Spoon about ⅓ teaspoon of cherry preserves into the cavity of each lychee fruit.
- Push 1 or 2 blueberries into the cavity of each lychee on top of the cherry preserves.
For the Spiced Sangria:
- Stir together all ingredients in a large pitcher.
- Chill for at least 2 hours, but up to 5 days.
To Serve:
- Pour the Spiced Sangria into glasses.
- Skewer 2 Bloody Eyeballs on 1 toothpick.
- Serve each glass of Sangria topped with 1 toothpick of Bloody Eyeballs.
Faith's Tips
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 6 cups of sangria, for 6 (1-cup) servings.
- How Many Bloody Eyeballs: Depending on how many lychee fruits are in the can, you should get about 20 to 25 bloody eyeballs from this recipe.
- For Sweeter Punch: To make a sweeter punch, use a sweet red wine. Alternatively, you can use a dry red wine and add simple syrup to taste.
- The Eyeballs Sink: These bloody eyeballs sink, they don’t float! This is why I skewer them and serve them on a toothpick on top of the drink.
- Sangria Storage: Store the sangria for up to 5 days in the fridge.
- Bloody Eyeballs Storage: The eyeballs will taste ok for a couple days stored in the fridge. However, the cherry preserves start to seep out after 1 or 2 hours, so I recommend making these about an hour before you want to serve them.
- Mocktail Version: To make this cocktail into a mocktail, use pomegranate juice or cranberry juice instead of the red wine. Use ginger ale instead of the spiced rum.
Nutrition
Betsy says
Those look delicious and disgusting! Perfect for Halloween!