Eau de Vie/Schnaps

Central and Eastern Europe, Germany, and Austria have strong traditions of clear, unaged or lightly aged fruit brandies distilled from cherries (kirsch), pears (poire), plums (slivovitz, a Balkan specialty), and other fruits — generally bottled clear/unaged to preserve pure fruit character, unlike grape brandies, which are usually aged. Collectively often called eau de vie ("water of life," the same etymological root as whisky's Gaelic name, uisge beatha) or schnaps, terms used somewhat differently by region.

Profile

Clean, pure fruit character, usually unaged.

Notable Examples

Kirsch, poire, slivovitz.