Eau de vie

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Eau de vie is a French term for a colourless brandy distilled from fermented fruit juice. The term is informally used for like beverages from non-French speaking countries. It is distilled from young fruit and rarely aged in wooden casks, thus preserving the freshness and aroma of the fruit. Typical spirits in this category are kirschwasser, a cherry-based beverage or framboise, which is made from raspberries. When the eau de vie is made from from the pomace, the result is called Pomace brandy or in France Marc (wine), sometime eau de vie de marc.

Etymology

Eau de vie is a translation of the Latin aqua vitæ (water of life). Other fermented alcoholic beverages have similar etymologies, such as Scotch whisky, an anglicization of the Irish uisce beatha or of the Scottish Gaelic uisge beatha.

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