Fruit Spirits
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 Calvadosis 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.
The most popular brandies in the world are made from wine. However, a great deal of superb brandy is distilled from fruits other than grapes. These brandies, or "Eau de vie" (water of life) can be made from cherries (Kirsch), pears (Poire William), plums (Quetsch, Mirabelle), strawberries (Fraises), and raspberries (Framboise).
Eau de vie is usually distilled in pot stills and is colorless, having aged in glass or pottery as opposed to wood. A great majority of fruit brandy is produced in France (Alsace), Germany (Black Forest), and Northern Switzerland (Busel). These brandies are often served in European restaurants and bistros as digestifs or as a refresher between courses of a larger meal.
See further examples of complex aged spirits :