Loss of Smell? And Taste? Say it Ain't So!

A few weeks ago, I had a huge scare:  I thought I had lost my sense of smell and taste permanently.  Over the past year, when strangers on the subway asked me if I was okay because it often looked like I had just undergone a crying jag, or when I went through a box of Kleenex every two days or tossed my way to sleep with a perpetually stuffy nose at night, I was in denial. I thought I just had a sinus infection or allergies—well, a really bad sinus infection or really bad allergies.  Instead, it turns out I had nasal polyps and these bizarre little clusters were now invading my senses of smell and taste. For anyone, the idea of losing such sensory faculties would be tragic. For myself, since eating and drinking and being able to describe those tastes eloquently is actually my livelihood, the panic really started to set in. While I impatiently waited for my smell and taste to return after a few weeks, it was the aromas and tastes of food I missed the most. Sure I could still feel a slice of pumpkin pie’s silken texture, but what about the tang of nutmeg?

A miniature bottle of Square One cucumber vodka (organic, of course) that I received as a media sample, sits on my desk. Day after day I experimented, obsessively opening it every hour or so, hoping for the blissful moment when the smell of refreshing cucumber would waft through my nasal passages. It didn’t happen.

But then, one afternoon, after a brilliant doctor and nurturing acupuncturist set me on the path to recovery, a miracle did occur: The vivid scent of cucumber took over me, and I felt as if I was roaming through a garden. Like a small child experiencing a new food for the first time, the sensation was magically jarring.

As I returned to my old sensory-aware self, my thoughts kept returning to the cucumber vodka and just how good it smelled, so I did a little more research. Square One, the California-based company behind Square One 100% Organic Rye Vodka, which marries North Dakota rye with pure water from Wyoming’s Teton Range, has now launched Square One Cucumber, featuring the essence of organic cucumber.

Although a cooling cucumber beverage might be more fitting for a sultry summer afternoon than the scarf-worthy temperatures we’re exposed to now, this vodka is the perfect way to brighten up a brisk fall. Here’s a refreshing recipe from Square One’s brand ambassador and mixologist, H. Joseph Ehrmann. It hints at fall with the inclusion of apples. Enjoy—and remember to never take those olfactory senses of yours for granted.

Little Orphan Apple

1.5 oz. Square One Cucumber

1/5 Fuji Apple, cored and cubed

1/2 oz. Aperol

1/2 oz. organic agave nectar

1/2 oz. fresh organic lemon juice

In a mixing glass, muddle half of the apple cubes with lemon juice.  Add the remaining ingredients and ice.  Shake well and strain into a short glass (coup or old fashioned).  Garnish with three apple cubes on a toothpick resting in the glass. Variation:  Strain over ice and top with soda water to create a crisp cooler.