Bit of elegant gold instrument releasing cold alcohol (3,2,3)
I believe the answer is:
eau de vie
'alcohol' is the definition.
(eau de vie is a kind of alcohol)
'bit of elegant gold instrument releasing cold' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'bit' could be 'i' (resembles 1, a binary digit or bit) and 'i' is found within the answer.
'gold' could be 'au' (Au is the chemical symbol for gold) and 'au' is found in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for eau de vie that I've seen before include "French spirits, especially brandy" , "Water of life, like brandy" , "Water of life or brandy - in France" , "Liquor" .)