Bartesian^® Witch's Heart Pod Review: Honest 7.5/10 Tasting Notes

I tasted the Witch's Heart pod on my Bartesian^® Premier on the regular setting with Tito's vodka. It's a Halloween capsule, and from what I see in the Bartesian owner groups on Facebook, it's a popular one. I was excited to try it. It was also my first drink with shimmer, ever.

It earned a 7.5/10 from me on my first taste. It looks amazing and smells great, but something happens at the very end of each sip that kept it from scoring higher. Plenty of owners love this drink more than I do, and I'll explain why I think I'm the exception.

What Is Witch's Heart, Anyway?

The Witch's Heart started as a homemade cocktail. Food writer Dini Kodippili created it in 2015 for her blog, The Flavor Bender. She was inspired by a shimmery purple liqueur called Viniq and by the heart-stealing evil queen on the TV show Once Upon a Time.

Bartesian^® released its own Witch's Heart capsule in the fall of 2020. It came back in the fall of 2021 and again in 2022. Last year it was part of the Spooky Sips Collection. This year it's back in the 2026 Halloween Collection.

Bartesian^® calls it a magical martini, with berry and green apple flavors and edible shimmer. Bartesian's Canadian site lists berry, green apple, lemon juice and white grape juice. It uses vodka.

It's a fan favorite. On bartesian.com, customers give it 4.9 out of 5 stars across 383 reviews.

Want the whole Halloween lineup? See all five Bartesian^® Halloween drinks.

What Happens on the First Pour?

I made it on my Bartesian^® Premier with Tito's vodka on the regular strength setting. The machine made the drink right into my shaker with ice. I shook it and strained it into a martini glass.

Bartesian^® suggests garnishing it with blackberries and raspberries and a Sour Apple Sugar rim. I put berries on a pick for the photos. Then I took them off before I tasted, and I skipped the sugar rim.

Here's why. The first time I taste a pod, I want it plain, with nothing added. That's how I learn what the drink tastes like on its own. A sugar rim puts sugar and sour apple on every sip, so you end up tasting the rim. It's great for a party, though. If you're hosting, go ahead and use it.

I also taste before I read Bartesian's description. That way the notes below are mine, not theirs.

It pours a deep, Halloween purple. Look closely and you'll see fine sparkling flakes floating all through it. Give it a stir and they swirl around like a potion in a witch's cauldron. It's a fun drink just to look at.

Bring it to your nose and it's berries, and a lot of them. The smell is strong.

The taste is berry too, just gentler than the smell. My palate can't tell blackberry from raspberry, but it's clearly a berry drink.

It leans sweet, but it doesn't go over the top. It's not a sugar bomb and not a juice bomb. I don't like cocktails that are crazy sweet, and this one stays on the right side of that line. I'd call it balanced to slightly sweet.

Even on regular strength, I couldn't taste the alcohol. There's no bite and no heat. The finish is good, with a slightly different taste right at the very end.

I let the drink sit for a while and tasted it again. Nothing changed. It held up the whole way through.

So why a 7.5 and not higher? It comes down to that finish. The different taste at the very end may be the green apple, but I can't say for sure. It doesn't ruin the drink. It just keeps this one from being a top favorite for me.

What Do the Tasting Notes Reveal?

How Does It Compare to the Caramel Appletini?

I tasted Witch's Heart first. Later that day I tasted the Caramel Appletini, the other martini in the Halloween Collection. It didn't have that different taste at the end. It was smooth from the first sip to the last.

That's the difference between the two for me. Witch's Heart wins on looks, with the shimmer. The Caramel Appletini wins on the finish. Read my Caramel Appletini review for the full story.

How Does It Compare to the Original Recipe?

The Flavor Bender's Witch's Heart and Bartesian's capsule have a lot in common. Both are purple and shimmery. Both mix berry, apple and lemon. Both go in a martini glass with berries on top.

The big difference is the work. The original uses a homemade blackberry vodka that has to sit with the berries for days before it's ready. With the Bartesian^®, you pop in a capsule and push a button.

The original also has one thing the capsule doesn't: a heart. After the drink goes into the martini glass, she gently pours in about a teaspoon of grenadine from about an inch above the drink. Grenadine is heavier than the cocktail, so it sinks to the bottom. You get a red pool under the purple, a bleeding heart that's perfect for Halloween. It shows best in a martini glass, because the bottom is narrow. Once someone stirs it, the red mixes in and the drink turns purple red.

That makes a fun upgrade for the capsule version. I haven't tried it myself yet, but I definitely plan to. I think it's a cool idea, and a simple way to make a fun party drink even more of a showpiece. Grenadine adds sweetness, so keep that in mind if you don't like sweet drinks.

Which Vodka Should You Use?

I used Tito's, a clean unflavored vodka, and it did the job. The vodka disappeared into the drink, with no bite at all on regular.

Any smooth vodka you like drinking works here. Berry is the star of this drink, so you don't need an expensive bottle. If you're choosing a vodka for your machine, my guide to the best liquors for Bartesian^® pods has what owners actually load.

Who Should Try This Pod?

Final Verdict

Witch's Heart lands at 7.5/10 for me. Would I buy it again? Yes, definitely. It's a fun drink, and the shimmer makes it. It's a Halloween drink through and through.

For entertaining, it's a really cool drink to have, and I think a lot of people would enjoy it. It's not a 9 out of 10 for me, but I think I'm the exception. Those 4.9 stars from Bartesian customers back that up.

Keep in mind, this score comes from my first taste. I want to have it a few more times, and it may grow on me. If my score changes, I'll update this review.