Eau de vie is French for “water of life.” It’s a clear brandy made out of fruit other than grapes. Death & Co has a carrot version on the menu so it looks like root vegetables are also getting into the mix. The fruit (or veggie!) is pressed and the juice is fermented and distilled. Some of the softer fruits skip the fermentation and instead macerate in neutral alcohol. Most are not aged so as to preserve the aroma and flavor. Not only a French creation, you can also get Eau De Vie from Germany and Austria (schnapps), Romania (țuică), Sri Lanka (Arrack), and Eastern Europe (Pálenka or pálinka). Traditionally, it is served neat as an after-dinner digestif however now you will see it in a variety of drinks and sometimes as a substitute for flavored vodka. And the last but not least of our random factoids, none other than our founding father George Washington created peach (no – not apple) eau de vie at his Mount Vernon pad.
