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Cocktail History
The Vampire Bite is a popular Halloween cocktail that was created in 2018 by Kara, the recipe developer behind Kara Creates. The original recipe was meant to be a boozy black cherry lemonade with a bright red hue, but our version kicks up the complexity by calling for cherry brandy and aquavit in place of the vodka. And it also uses sparkling sangria instead of cherry soda.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Sangria Soda: This is a carbonated beverage made in Mexico with wine flavors, sugar, and carbonated water. We used Sangria Senorial Non-Alcoholic Sangria Soda.
Sparkling Lemonade: This is a soda made with lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water. We used IZZE Sparkling Original Lemonade.
Cherry Brandy: This is a type of brandy made with cherries, spices, sugar, and alcohol. We used Door County Distillery Cherry Brandy because it has a clean, complex taste with notes of vanilla and florals. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Amoretti Premium Kirsch Syrupin place of the cherry brandy.
Aquavit: This is a spirit made with grains or potatoes, star anise, caraway, spices, and alcohol. We used State Line Distilling Aquavit because it has a fresh flavor with notes of rye thanks to it being aged in whiskey barrels. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Strykk Non-Alcoholic Not V*dka in place of the aquavit.
Simple Syrup: This is a sweetener made with white sugar and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s stovetop recipe.
Red Food Coloring: This is a dye that adds color to foods or drinks. We used Watkins Assorted Food Coloring.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. We used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.
Tasting Notes
The Vampire Bite has slight aromas of cherry and mixed fruits, a flavor of off-dry cherry which is joined by light wine notes and pleasant lemonade after a moment, and a finish with aquavit’s anise flavor coming forward on the swallow.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: The right combination of ingredients can turn even the simplest format into a complex sipper, and the Vampire Bite proves just that. Drinkers beware: this one is sure to go straight for the throat every time.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“The original drink we found that inspired our Vampire Bite was a simple combination of flavored vodka and soda, and we wanted to keep the same idea but do it a bit better. We employed aquavit for its anise-like flavors, hoping they would mingle well with the fruit notes, and we used a sangria soda that we found in the Mexican aisle at our local grocer. The resulting drink was tasty, fruity, and just dry enough to be reminiscent of a true sangria, which I really liked.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“Leave it to Alex to take a really simple vodka and soda cocktail and turn it into something really interesting with a hint of unexpected complexity. We did have to use food coloring to get the red just right for a vampire-inspired recipe, but it turned out both fun and tasty. I really enjoyed the Vampire Bite and think most Halloween fans will too!”
Recipe
Add cherry brandy, aquavit, simple syrup, red food coloring, and ice to a beaker or lowball glass.
Top with sangria soda and sparkling lemonade.
Stir for 3-5 seconds.
Ingredients
Directions
Add cherry brandy, aquavit, simple syrup, red food coloring, and ice to a beaker or lowball glass.
Top with sangria soda and sparkling lemonade.
Stir for 3-5 seconds.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Amoretti Premium Kirsch Syrupin place of the cherry brandy and Strykk Non-Alcoholic Not V*dka in place of the aquavit to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Halloween Cocktails
If you like this Halloween-inspired cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Vampire’s Kiss: A lemon vodka cocktail made with raspberry liqueur, cranberry liqueur, lemon juice, grenadine, cherry, clove, and cinnamon bitters, and red food coloring
Witch’s Brew Lemonade: A gin cocktail made with lemonade, blue curaçao, lemon juice, and a rosemary sprig
Poison Apple: A rye whiskey cocktail made with cinnamon syrup, cranberry juice, apple cider, lemon juice, and apple slices
Empress Corpse Reviver No. 2: A gin cocktail made with triple sec, Lillet Blanc, lemon juice, absinthe, and an orange twist
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