Purple Door Ice Cream
Samples of Rum Raisin, The Honolulu, Peanut Butter, Lemon Cardamom, Raspberry Green Tea, Baileys
Tasting of Toffee Butter Pecan, Trail Mix, Maple Nut, Salted Caramel
Named to several local and national ‘best of’ lists for their artisan approach to ice creams featuring almost nothing but locally sourced ingredients a stop at Purple Door Ice Cream’s 2nd Street scoop shop was mandatory for my visit to Milwaukee and with owner Lauren Schultz helping at the counter during my visit the whole experience couldn’t have been smoother – a sentiment applying to both the lovely customer service as well as the product itself. Focusing on a fairly modest 14% milk-fat base with flavors ranging from expected to exemplary it was first to a substantial tasting that I was treated and although I only requested a few bites the rest were insisted upon, the Lemon Cardamom a particularly memorable bite that just barely missed the cut in my ‘flight’ of four flavors, the $6 tab a veritable bargain when compared to other artisan operations across the United States. Clearly focusing on a theme of sweet-meets-salty in each of my selections it was in creamy salted caramel that my tasting began and moving next to toffee butter pecan I was immediately impressed, one of my childhood favorites upgraded with swirls of molasses that tickled the palate while providing a subtle transition to toasty nuts studding ice cream that tasted of syrup-soaked buttermilk pancakes. At this point already impressed enough to support the business further by buying a whimsical shirt to be worn back home it was with a flavor titled ‘trail mix’ that my visit to Purple Door would end and while all the other flavors were indeed quite good it was this one that stole the show, the cream itself imbued with the flavors of grain while raisins, nuts, and even M&Ms added their characteristic textures, tastes, and colors too.
RECOMMENDED: Tasting with abandon, then ordering a flight of whatever tastes best.
AVOID: N/A.
TIP: Additionally offering ice cream sandwiches, shakes, and sundaes with house-made toppings plus several pints to go suffice it to say you will be tempted – several of the items and flavors additionally offered at any number of local markets and restaurants begging the question of when this small company will finally launch nationwide.
