eau de vie
Definition
- Noun:
- A strong, coarse brandy: "Eau de vie" refers to a clear, colorless fruit brandy that is produced by fermentation and double distillation. The name is French, literally meaning "water of life."
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- After dinner, they served a glass of eau de vie made from pears.
- The region is famous for its traditional production of eau de vie.
Advanced Usage
- As a culinary term: Eau de vie is often used in fine dining and gourmet cooking, sometimes to flavor desserts or sauces.
- The chef flambéed the dessert with a splash of pear eau de vie.
Variants and Related Words
- Brandy (n): A general term for a spirit distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice, often aged in wood, which gives it color. Eau de vie is a specific type of unaged brandy.
- Schnapps (n): A German or Scandinavian spirit similar to eau de vie, often flavored.
- Marc (n): A French pomace brandy, which is a related spirit made from the leftover skins, seeds, and stems of grapes after winemaking.
Synonyms
- Fruit brandy: A direct descriptive synonym.
- Distilled spirit: A broader category that includes eau de vie.
Related Phrases
- Eau-de-vie de poire: Specifically, pear brandy.
- Eau-de-vie de framboise: Specifically, raspberry brandy.
Related Idioms
- (This term is primarily a specific noun for a type of beverage and is not typically used in idiomatic expressions.)
Noun
-
strong coarse brandy
