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All purple everything: Local restaurants create Prince-inspired treats

by Cecilia Johnson

April 24, 2016

Three days have passed since the world lost Prince. His death's immediacy has faded, mostly; the Twin Cities are now traveling through that strange tunnel between sharp pain and acceptance. We've worn purple, held dance parties, and listened to a Prince music marathon to help the process.

This week, local businesses are joining in, using their talents and creativity to pay tribute to Prince.

Hola Arepa

At Hola Arepa on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, bar manager Nate McLemore created the "7 Purple Kisses," a tequila-based cocktail that gets its color from housemade tepache. Tepache, a fermented drink, contains purple corn, pineapple and vinegar. The "7 Purple Kisses" also contains lemon juice, pineapple juice, apricot liqueur, habanero bitters, and crème de cassis, a blackcurrant liqueur.

"We're huge music nerds here," said McLemore on Saturday night. He spent nearly all night at Thursday's First Avenue dance party, staying until 6:30 a.m. to celebrate Prince. Hola Arepa has also commemorated the lives of David Bowie and Phife Dawg through cocktails.

The "7 Purple Kisses" and its also-Prince-inspired sibling, the "Party Man," should be available for another week.

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The "7 Purple Kisses" at Hola Arepa.
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Specials list, including Prince-inspired cocktails "Seven Purple Kisses" and "Party Man," at Hola Arepa.

Glam Doll Donuts

Glam Doll Donuts, the Nicollet Avenue sugar haven owned by Arwyn Birch and Teresa Fox, are well-known for their contributions to the Minnesota music scene. Once they found about about Prince, they quickly chose to pay homage to his life. "Every donut that can be purple tomorrow will be purple," they tweeted Thursday.

Employees said they were running low on purple donuts after a busy day on Saturday, but they'll keep making more to meet demand.

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At Glam Doll Donuts.

Spoon and Stable

Robb Jones, head bartender at Spoon and Stable in Minneapolis, found out about Prince's death over lunch at Zen Box Izakaya. Shocked, he needed a minute to accept the news; Prince's "Batdance" was on the first tape he ever bought. Along with his staff, Jones knew right away that he'd have to come up with a drink to recognize Prince.

"It had to be related to Minneapolis, and it had to be approachable, just like Prince's music," Jones says about the end product, the "Purple Rain." Tattersall vodka met the local requirement, and the drink's citrusy, just-sweet-enough flavor is certainly accessible. Lemon juice joins simple syrup, the Tattersall vodka, and Cocchi Rosa (an aperitif) in a shaker; after being shaken and poured, the cocktail gets a quarter-ounce shot of purple crème de cassis "rain" poured into it tableside. A pansy, six drops of crème de violette, and a spritz of absinthe serve as garnish.

Although the "Purple Rain" was technically one in a series of daily cocktails, Spoon and Stable is happy to recreate its Prince tribute for whoever would like to try one.

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The "Purple Rain" at Spoon and Stable.

More custom cocktails are available at Tattersall Distilling (the "Raspberry Beret") and Nico's Taco and Tequila Bar (the "Purple Rain champagne").

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Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.