Eau de vie

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Eau-de-vie (plural eaux-de-vie) is a French term for a colorless brandy, derived from one or more fruits, that is prepared via fermentation and double-distillation. A typical scenario would involve growing the appropriate fruit, harvesting when ripe, and fermenting the whole, crushed fruit prior to distillation. Unlike their cognac cousins, eaux-de-vie are not typically aged in wooden casks. Instead, the young, ripe fruit are fermented, distilled, and bottled rapidly to preserve the freshness and aroma of the parent fruit. While this is the general process for creating eaux-de-vie, some variants exist and some distillers choose to age their products before bottling.

The term eau-de-vie is also informally used for similar beverages hailing from non-French speaking countries. Spirits in this category include kirschwasser, a cherry-based beverage; eau-de-vie de poire, a pear-based beverage; eau-de-vie de pomme, an apple-based beverage; eau-de-vie de mirabelle, a yellow plum-based beverage; and others. When the eau-de-vie is made from from the pomace, the result is called Pomace brandy or Marc (wine), sometimes called eau-de-vie de marc. The apple-flavored spirit Calvados is made by aging a distilled eau-de-vie in wooden casks before bottling, lending this potable much more similarity to cognac than a typical eau-de-vie.

[edit] Serving

Exact serving preferences vary by individual, but here are some general guidelines:

Temperature: eaux-de-vie are usually served chilled.
Portion: the usual scenario is to serve an eau-de-vie as a digestif (a postprandial alcoholic drink used to stimulate digestion). As eaux-de-vie are often drunk following rich meals that have already been accompanied by wine, the "usual" serving size would be approximately 1-2 oz. The goal is to the appreciate the fine aromas and delicate smoothness of the drink while enjoying the taste of the fruit that has been infused into the alcohol, not to get drunk.
Glassware: some connoisseurs recommend a tulip-shaped glass, while others suggest the use of a snifter.

[edit] Etymology

Eau-de-vie is a French expression meaning water of life. Other fermented alcoholic beverages have similar etymologies, such as whisky, an anglicized version of the Irish uisce beatha or of the Scottish Gaelic uisge beatha. This is Aqua vitae in Latin, Akvavit in Swedish and Norwegian and Wōdka meaning the same in Polish and Russian Vodka