Donal O'Brien
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Master Donal O'Brien, OL (Brewing)
Offices & Positions
- Royal Brewer for Sven and Kolfinna, 2006
- Guildmaster of the Right Noble Brewer's Guild of Caid, 2008-2010
- Cooking/Brewing Regent, Collegium Caidis, Fall 2008-Present
- Ambassador for Ívarr and Elyn, 10/25/2008-6/27/2009
- Royal Brewer for Sven II and Kolfinna II, 11/2008-6/2009
- Companion for Edward II and Mora II, 6/6/2009-11/7/2009
Event Staff
- Autocrat Mons Draconis Anniversary 05/10-11/1997
- Marshal (Heavy) Dreiburgen Anniversary 2002
Classes Taught
- Honey Drinks, Collegium Caidis Fall 2008
- Aqua Vitae - A Short History of Distillation, Collegium Caidis Fall 2008
- Introduction To Making Cordials & Liqueurs, Collegium Caidis 2009
- Introduction to Making Vinegar, Collegium Caidis 2010
- Brewing 101, Collegium Caidis 2010 with Ingilborg Sigmundardottir
- Brewers Roundtable, Collegium Caidis 2011
- Honey Drinks, Collegium Caidis 2011
A&S Interests
- Journeyman in the Right Noble Brewer's Guild of Caid
- Senior Judge in the Right Noble Brewer's Guild of Caid
Recipes
Donal O'Brien's Brandied Lemonade
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of sugar
- 3 cups of lemon juice
- 4 1/2 cups of water
- 3 1/2 cups of white wine (9% to 12% abv)
- 1 1/2 cups of brandy (80 proof).
Procedure:
Combine all ingredients at once. Makes 1 gallon.
Donal's Basic Hippocras Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of wine (red or white)
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 3/4 ounce of cinnamon sticks, cracked into small pieces
- 3/4 ounce of fresh ginger, chopped into small pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 5 cloves, cracked into small pieces
- 25 black peppercorns, cracked into small pieces
Equipment:
- 1-quart glass jar with lid,
- measuring cups and spoons
- large bowl
- kitchen strainer
- small funnel
- coffee filter (optional)
- bottles
Procedure:
Clean and sanitize your equipment like normal. Pour 3 cups of wine and 3/4 cup of sugar into the quart glass jar. Attach the lid. Shake until all of the sugar is dissolved. Remove the lid. Add 3/4 ounce of cinnamon sticks (cracked), 3/4 ounce of fresh ginger (chopped fine), 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 5 cloves (cracked) and 25 black peppercorns (cracked). Reattach the lid. Swirl the contents of the jar gently to mix all of the spices into the win. Let the spices steep for 1-3 days (12 hours minimum).
Place a large bowl on a counter. Place a regular kitchen strainer over the bowl. Remove the lid from the quart jar. Carefully pour the hippocras through the kitchen strainer. Try to remove as much of large pieces of spice as possible. For a clearer hippocras, rinse out the quart jar, place a small funnel into the mouth of the jar, place a coffee filter to the funnel, and carefully pour the hippocras through the coffee filter.
Bottle the hippcoras and share with friends.
Notes:
Hippocras goes back to at least 1390 and likely a century before. It is a sweetened and spiced wine used as part of a dessert course after feasts.
Hippocras can be made with any wine (red, white, blush or rose'). If you start with a very dry wine, you might need to add a little extra sugar. If you start with a sweet wine, you can use a little less sugar. Fresh spices will give you a more intense spicy flavor and aroma to the wine. Powdered spices add nice flavor but are very difficult to filter out of the wine.
