Ardent Spirits in alchemy are liquors obtained after repeated distillations from fermented fruit and vegetables. They are thus called because they will take fire and erupt into flame. Ardent spirits are volatile distillates which hold a burning attraction for medieval alchemists.
Aqua vitae or Water of Life is typically made by distilling wine. In this method it's also called ardent spirits, spirit of wine or spirits of wine. Aqua vitae is a generic name for all types of distillates. It may refer specifically to distillates of alcoholic beverages (liquors)
In the distillation process, one type or a mixture of grains, fruits, or vegetables is heated to generate a vapor, resulting in a clear liquid forming at the top of the container. Distillation is an important process to alchemists as it helps separate and purify substances.
When alchemy takes to the convents, one reason is the available of distillation equipment. Every convent / monastery (the words are fairly interchangeable in the Middle Ages) has equipment to brew wine, beer or spirits.
These specialized products are often local to a region and bear the name of the maker. Before the 1516 German Reinheitsgebot, the Bavarian purity law for beer, brews use specialty gruit, a mix of various herbs and spices. Secrets of the recipes are well-preserved.
The law is instated only in Bavaria. However, it's not long before brewers across Germania adopt the Reinheitsgebot, for consistency in beer brewing and as a mark of honor and integrity. Many beers today from Germany bear the label, and German beer is still the best.
There are a few reasons for brewing in monasteries. The houses of the holy are obligated to provide food and drink for travelers, including beer or wine, standard with a meal. Convents and monasteries also care for the sick and experiment with known herbs to make medicines.
Monasteries provide the supplies needed to work on a large or smaller scale. Many alchemists can't afford the complex equipment or ovens required, thus a convent is an experimental playground. Convents and monasteries are also treasure troves of information.
Among duties of monks is to transcribe or translate ancient writings, many to be tucked away in the monastic library never seen by human eyes. Because monks and nuns are expected to learn scripture, most can read and write in a time literacy is scarce.
The writings are of interest to those who explore alchemy. One great literature patron of the Renaissance, Cosimo de' Medici, is known for sending people throughout the lands to collect ancient manuscripts from ruined sites or gathering dust in private libraries.
Products like bitters, liqueurs, beer and wine, spirits and other stiff drinks made in convents are branded with the name / location of the order. Many gain stellar reputations and business brings in funds for the convent. In this way the nuns, monks and friars retain self-sufficiency.
Distillation in alchemy is used to create medicine as well as extract essential oils and plant pigments. In small scale a regular retort or alembic is effectively used. For industrial scale manufacture the equipment is more complex, bigger and often hotter.
The term Elixir Vitae is used by the 14th-century monk and alchemist Jean de Roquetaillade (Eng. John of Rupescissa). He believes the newly discovered ethanol to be an imperishable life-giving "fifth essence" or quintessence and extensively studies its medical properties.
Although the Elixir Vitae is often equated with "ardent spirits" the terms are not synonymous. An Elixir Vitae can contain anything from healing herbs to poison hemlock in very small doses. Toxins from plants are considered medicinal, as in a lot can harm but a little can heal.
This is also a concept of renowned physician alchemist Paracelsus (1493 - 1531) whose writings often deal with toxic constituents. Although Paracelsus prescribes mercury as a syphilis treatment, which doesn't work, many of his revolutionary theories are applied today.
Fundamentally the ardent spirits are distilled from wine, which catch fire when put to a flame. The term evolves to include brandy distilled multiple times. As time goes by the meaning becomes more complex among purveyors; although for alchemists, it is what it is.
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