Eau De Vie Pear Brandy: A Personal Quest

[cookingupastory]

Thank you, @CaronteEmpire! 

[biscoito1r]

American desserts are too sweet for me.

[TurtleHacker]

I would love to try this! It looks phenomenal.

[michaelb772]

very good. keep it up!

[K0K4NE]

the pear trees in the us are the same as the ones in europe because thats where they originated from.

[vutEwa]

way cool

and oh, I'm one American that appreciates salty, sour, and bone-dry. Of course though sweet isn't bad either!

[IrisReola]

5:04

[phunnie99]

Yummy! Nice vid, thank you so much, cookingupastory!

I was lucky that while in France, the private reserve of the artisanal "poireux" was shared with me by the proud makers. They are limited by law to the amount that each can make, and those over-limit unmarked bottles were absolutely fabulous.

The taste & pleasure still linger in my memory.

This vid got my tastebuds drooling... sure, send me a case!

[averagebetty]

Glad I watched this on a Friday... I need to try this :)

[cookingupastory]

Gee, MsBetty, I said the same thing (sorta!), because I filmed this on a Friday! Similar to a winery, they have a tasting room. It was a popular spot that day =)

[Octahoney]

"Ultimately you cannot expect the farm family to make no money from their land." So very true. Supporting your local farms is a valuable thing.

"BE the change you wish to see in the world."-Ghandi

I think that Mr. McCarthy is a very interesting person. (in a very good way.)

[cookingupastory]

Thanks for highlighting that statement. It is a very important one for many people to consider, as you noted, Octahoney. Like any business or way to earn an income, if a living wage doesn't exist, you have to move on.

[HighPlainsWoman]

My granddad brewed up some "fine liquors" from fermented potatoes, but the police took a dim view of his artistry. Altho, when arrested with a trunkful of one of his finer brews, it mystereously disappeared and charges were droped for "lack of evidence". ;-)

[ReliableInsider]

Google says is an eau-de-vie is clear, colorless fruit brandy produced by fermentation followed by double distillation.

Yum!

[cookingupastory]

Thanks for sharing this, ReliableInsider, and helping to make it clear. Have you had Pear Brandy? Or would just like to try it sometime?

[aduziproductions]

We were told to stay away from the dangerous coal mine on my Great Uncles farm. He made, what he called, apple jack, there. It was smooth as any top shelf store bought. It was carmel colored and not sweet. Real apple jack is actually the alcohol that is left over after freezing apple cider, but this was better than that. My great Uncle was an artist of his craft. The neighbors called it moonshining, but I'm sure now that he has left us, that they now long for another taste of his special dew.

[cookingupastory]

Sweet story, aduziproductions. Thanks for sharing. And you're right, he was a craftsman and I"m sure his work is missed by many. I had never heard of 'apple jack'. Learn something new everyday! Perchance the recipe stayed in the family?

[aduziproductions]

Chances are good the recipe and the still stayed in the family. They had a tendency to keep everything of any value, way back. I hope that tendency was inherited. The homestead is currently occupied by the fourth generation.

Aduzi

[capedchameleon]

Very interesting! I'm still a little confused to what eau de vie is. But I will be sure to look in to it.

[cookingupastory]

I'm sorry if it wasn't clear to you in this story, but ReliableInsider provided a description from googling it: "Google says is an eau-de-vie is clear, colorless fruit brandy produced by fermentation followed by double distillation."

Hope that helps!

[DanceExperiment]

farms are the root of our society and we are unfortunatly abandoning them

[cookingupastory]

Farms are tremendously important and folks like McCarthy help them stay afloat. Granted he gets many of his pears from his family farm, but, what was not really shown in this video, he also makes kirch and liqueurs from all sorts of fresh fruits from the region. Support your local farmer as you can!

[sony2hd]

Excellent.

[cookingupastory]

glad you liked this one, sony2hd.

[WhiteTiger333]

Another great video - thank you! I remember traveling in the Bavarian Alps back in the '80s. Folks took their schnapps very seriously and the sheer variety of fruit or herbal distillations was absolutely delicious. (As was the pampered pork, but that's another story).

[cookingupastory]

Lucky you to have participated in this tradition! I can only imagine the aromas =)

[CaptKelp]

Another great video on another great subject --- very interesting R

[cookingupastory]

Thanks, CaptK. I found the whole process interesting. 28 pounds of pears make one bottle of Eau de Vie. That adds up to a lot of pears!

[CaptKelp]

28 lbs of pears concentrated into one little bottle is a lot. I found it very interesting. It made me think about a lot of things and I like that. One -- it reminded me of why our forefather turn all their extra grains and fruits into liquor -- easy to transport and safe to store. In 1799 George Washington produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey, he was using grain, but just think about how many pears it would take to make 11,000 gallons.

[Octahoney]

WOW. That is an interesting thought.

[HighPlainsWoman]

I love pears. I planted 2 pear trees a couple years ago and can't wait until they start producing. I don't know if I'd like the pear brandy tho, because I like sweet things.

[cookingupastory]

He says either you like it, or don't. Those who do, really do like them, tho.

Good or bad, like most Americans, I like it sweet too =)

[Chivalryaintdead]

Cool video, thanks! Keep up the good work!

[cookingupastory]

thank you, Chivalryaintdead, and I will!

[cookingupastory]

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