___ de vie

EAU

This French phrase translates to "water of life" and is often associated with a type of brandy made from fermented fruit.

This clue is a fill-in-the-blank for the French phrase "eau de vie," which translates to "water of life" and refers to a type of brandy or fruit spirit. The answer is "EAU," the French word for "water," since the clue provides the rest of the phrase. It’s a straightforward language-based clue relying on knowledge of common French terms.