An ''eau de vie'' ( French for spirit, §16, §17 ) is a clear, colourless

fruit brandy Fruit brandy (or fruit spirit) is a distilled beverage produced from mash, juice, wine or residues of edible fruits. The term covers a broad class of spirits produced across the world, and typically excludes beverages made from grapes, which are ...

that is produced by means of fermentation and double distillation. The fruit flavor is typically very light. In English-speaking countries, ''eau de vie'' refers to a

distilled beverage Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. While the ...

made from fruit other than grapes. Similar terms may be local translations or may specify the fruit used to produce it. Although ''eau de vie'' is a French term, similar beverages are produced in other countries (e.g., German ''Schnaps'', Greek '' ούζο'', Turkish ''

rakı Rakı, Türk Rakısı or Turkish Raki (, Turkish pronunciation: ) is an alcoholic beverage made of twice-distilled grape pomace and flavored with aniseed. It is a national drink of Turkey, although fewer than 17% of Turks drink alcohol. Among ...

'', Balkan ''

rakia Rakia, rakija, rakiya, rachiu or rakı (), is the collective term for fruit spirits (or fruit brandy) popular in the Balkans. The alcohol content of rakia is normally 40% ABV, but home-produced rakia can be stronger (typically 50–80%). Ov ...

'', Romanian '' țuică'', Czech and Slovak ''pálenka'', Hungarian ''

pálinka Pálinka () is a traditional fruit spirit (or fruit brandy) with origins in the medieval Hungary, known under several names. Protected as a geographical indication of the European Union, only fruit spirits mashed, distilled, matured and bottled i ...

'', and Sri Lankan coconut ''arrack''). In French, however, ''eau de vie'' is a generic term for distilled spirits. The proper French term for fruit brandy is ''eau-de-vie de fruit'', while ''eau-de-vie de vin'' means wine spirit (

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

), and several further categories of spirits (distilled from grape

pomace Pomace ( ), or marc (; from French ''marc'' ), is the solid remains of grapes, olives, or other fruit after pressing (wine), pressing for juice or Vegetable oil, oil. It contains the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems of the fruit. Grape pomace has ...

, lees of wine, beer, cereals, etc.) are also legally defined as ''eau-de-vie'' in a similar fashion. Many ''eaux de vie'' made from fruits, wine, pomace, or rye have a

protected designation of origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...

within the European Union.

Production

Fruit spirit

Traditional fruit spirits are made with ripe fruit that is fermented, distilled, and quickly bottled to preserve the freshness and aroma of the parent fruit. ''Eaux de vie'' are typically not aged in wooden casks, hence they are clear. Although this is the usual practice, some distillers age their products before bottling.

Geist

Some fruits, such as

raspberries The raspberry is the edible fruit of several plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the Rosaceae, rose family, most of which are in the subgenus ''Rubus#Modern classification, Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Ras ...

, rowanberries, rosehips, and sloes, do not contain adequate sugars for fermenting. Instead, the spirits are produced by

macerating Maceration is the process of preparing foods through the softening or breaking into pieces using a liquid. Raw, dried or preserved fruit or vegetables are soaked in a liquid to soften the food, or absorb the flavor of the liquid into the food. ...

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

in neutral grain spirits for some time before distilling. The legal term used for these spirits within the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

is ''

Geist ''Geist'' () is a German noun with a significant degree of importance in German philosophy. ''Geist'' can be roughly translated into three English meanings: ghost (as in the supernatural entity), spirit (as in the Holy Spirit), and mind or int ...

'', meaning "spirit" in German. ''

'' can also be produced with vegetables, nuts, herbs, and other plant materials such as rose petals,

mushrooms A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...

pumpkin seed A pumpkin seed, also known as a ''pepita'' (from the Mexican , 'little seed of squash'), is the edible seed of a pumpkin or certain other cultivars of squash. The seeds are typically flat and oval with two axes of symmetry, have a white outer ...

Varieties

Most commonly available flavors in France are ''eau de vie de poire'' (pear, known as '' eau de vie de Poire Williams'' when made from the

Williams pear The Williams' bon chrétien pear, commonly called the Williams pear, or the Bartlett pear in the United States and Canada, is a cultivar (cultivated variety) of the species ''Pyrus communis'', commonly known as the European pear. The fruit has a ...

), '' eau de vie de framboise'' (raspberries), ''eau de vie de pomme'' (apple), ''eau de vie de mirabelle'' (

mirabelle plum Mirabelle plum (''Prunus domestica'' subsp. ''syriaca'') is a cultivar group of plum trees of the genus ''Prunus''. It is believed that the plum was cultivated from a wild fruit grown in Anatolia. Description The mirabelle is identified by it ...

), and ''eau de vie de pêche'' (peach). When made from

, it is called

pomace brandy Pomace spirit (or pomace brandy) is a Distilled beverage, liquor distilled from pomace that is left over from winemaking, after the grapes are pressed (wine), pressed. It is called marc in both English and French, but "grappa" in Italian and "baga ...

or '' marc''. While most ''eaux de vie'' from the Alpine regions of Europe only rest very briefly in glass containers, others are aged in wooden casks before bottling. Thus,

calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples and/or pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norman distillation was ma ...

, an apple-based spirit from northwestern France, is required by law to spend at least two years in wood, and most producers also offer much older products to the market (up to 20 years or more). Some ''

slivovitz Slivovitz is a fruit spirit (or fruit brandy) made from damson plums, often referred to as plum spirit (or plum brandy). If anyone else has a dictionary of some Slavic language that translates your word for slivovitz as "plum brandy", please ...

'' are also aged in wooden casks, giving them their golden or amber color and some additional flavors. Romanian '' țuică bătrână'' is aged in casks made from mulberry wood, which impart a pale brown color. In the Caribbean, eaux-de-vie are made from tropical fruits such as

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

, ambarella,

guava Guava ( ), also known as the 'guava-pear', is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava '' Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), nativ ...

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...

, and

sapodilla ''Manilkara zapota'', commonly known as sapodilla (), sapote, chicozapote, chicoo, chicle, naseberry, nispero, or soapapple, among other names, is an evergreen tree native to southern Mexico and Central America. An example natural occurrence is ...

. The term can also refer to maple ''eau de vie'', made from

maple syrup Maple syrup is a sweet syrup made from the sap of maple trees. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Ma ...

. Acerum is a Canadian eau de vie made in Quebec from maple syrup.

Serving

An eau de vie is usually served as a digestif. The typical serving size is , owing to the high alcohol content of the spirit and because it is typically drunk after a meal during which wine, or some other alcoholic beverage, has already been served. Sometimes, also is used in traditional recipes of the French cuisine, for deglazing, instead ofor together withthe usual white wine. ''Eaux de vie'' should be served cold.

Explanatory notes

References

External links

Buying guide
from ''

Food & Wine ''Food & Wine'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and sea ...

'' {{Alcoholic beverages Fruit brandies