Alert readers may recall my story about the Ancient Order of the Deep that ran last August in the "Journal." The Ancient Order... was a Chinook-based group of men who gathered a few times each year to enjoy a Norwegian dinner and the main course was always lutefisk-dried and salted cod reconstituted and cooked for eating. Lutefisk is a traditional holiday dish prepared and consumed in many Nordic countries. The Ancient Order was the brainchild of Blondie Austad, a famed local connoisseur of eating and cooking lutefisk.

I learned about the group that operated roughly from the early 1950's to the late 1970's from Russ Skones, a fellow coffee drinker at the Chinook Senior Center and one of two remaining members of the Ancient Order (the other is E.L. Luckett). Children of several of the other members recalled their fathers being in the group but most could not provide any insights as to what the group did.

One of the challenges to writing the original story involved a phrase that Blondie Austad would say before each meal. Russ Skones described the saying as "kind of a call to order" and though Russ could say it in Norwegian he didn't know the complete meaning. After help from several locals with Scandinavian connections the phrase was translated to English as follows: "Thank you, thank you for 'burning wine,' lefse and lutefisk, ya, ya!" Most folks I talked with knew what lefse and lutefisk was but the 'burning wine' was a bit of a mystery.

'Burning wine' turned out to be Aquavit (Akvavit)

It didn't take long to get the translation that meant 'burning wine' but even Russ Skones didn't recall what burning wine really was. Turns out it was Aquavit, literally "water of life." Produced in Scandinavian countries since the 15th century Aquavit is derived from potatoes and grain. To be official per the European Union's modern day regulations, the gin-like drink must be at least 37.5 percent alcohol by volume (roughly 80 proof) and flavored with "a distillate of caraway and/or dill seed."

Peggy Perry, of Chinook, and her sister, Marilyn Granell, of rural Havre, grew up in a Norwegian family (Munson) north of Chinook. They read the story last summer and talked to me about doing a "replay" of the meal since they knew Russ Skones and thought it would be fun to cook and host such a meal. Peggy said, "Most readers will likely have heard of lutefisk and many will have eaten it. One thing they might not have tasted is Aquavit."

She went on to tell that some relatives had visited from Norway last summer and brought several "little bottles like you get on an airline" of Aquavit. She explained she though it would be fun to have an authentic lutefisk dinner, with all the trimmings, and have a taste of Aquavit. The Nordic drink is not readily available in our area and the little bottles the relatives brought "were produced by several different distillers and flavored with a variety of herbs and spices."

The tribute meal to the Ancient Order of the Deep

Peggy and Marilyn prepared an authentic meal and invited several locals, including Russ Skones, for dinner. "The Sisters" decorated the house with family photos and mementos from their trips to Norway. And once guests were welcomed, the small bottles of Aquavit were distributed and the featured drink was served in delicate shot glasses. Peggy warned, "Aquavit is best enjoyed in small sips, not 'tossed back' like a shot." The guests toasted and sipped.

I took my first sip ever of Aquavit. Once I got feeling back to my lips I could taste the lingering caraway seed flavor. The drink was certainly potent and I finally realized why the Norwegians used the word "brennevin" (burning wine) to describe the drink.

Enjoyed with the lutefisk (or a serving of Swedish meatballs if preferred), lefse, lingonberry sauce, boiled potatoes and slaw from an old family recipe, the effect was quite enjoyable. The Sisters topped off the meal with a popular Nordic dessert, almond cake. We could truly say we had experienced an encore to the Norwegian dinners enjoyed by the Ancient Order of the Deep through the years. And we did a special toast to The Sisters for their hospitality and the departed members of the Ancient Order of the Deep for the part in preserving the memories of traditional foods and drink from the old countries.