At the end of this month, The Mothership, 2301 S. Logan Ave., celebrates six years of service with a fresh look and new cocktails. We swung by last night to check it out and, at first, didn't notice much of a difference. However, the renovations were revealed throughout the evening.
The bar now stretches wall to wall in the main area and features a third cocktail station and draft system designed to improve speed and service. It works – there were a lot of people belly-up to the bar and cheering on the Bucks last night, but the cocktails kept coming.
“I grew up in a working-class, immigrant family right here in Bay View,” says owner Ricky Ramirez. “The Mothership is built for this community. We’ve never been about fancy bells and whistles, just great drinks, fast service and taking care of people. This renovation was about giving the team what they need to do that even better.”
The drink menu features seven new, Latin American-inspired drinks: Gringo Destroyer, Exploding Heart, Nudie Magazine Day, Fun Trick Noisemaker, The Mommy Grasshopper, Mama Mai Tai and Tropical Slam Dancing. We wanted to try all of them on name alone, but settled for Gringo Destroyer and The Mommy Grasshopper. There are also three new draft cocktails: Oolong Island Ice Tea, Clover Club Spritz and Fancy Paloma.
"With the climate, we're really trying to focus on my heritage," says Ramirez, who is the son of Guatemalan and Dominican Republic immigrants. "The menu reads a little more Latin than it had previously to save space for what's going on in the country."
Ramirez and crew are just as likely to serve up a Pabst as they are a 7-ingredient cocktail. Case in point: our Gringo Detroyer is made with Abasolo Mexican Whiskey, Vago Elote Mezcal, Ancho Spiced Cacao Butter, Raisin Sherry Blend, Meletti 1870 Bitter and Bitter Truth Chocolate Bitters. It was absolutely delicious.
The Mothership is an amalgamation of corner tap and cocktail lounge. The decor is fun, funny and carefully curated with Hawaiian, Asian and alien flare. There's also a large banner that reads "No vaping in the bar. This is not Racine."
The two unisex bathrooms also underwent renovation. They are now lit by black light and feature neon quips and drawings on the wall. Urine looks wild under black light. Who knew? (Also: shout-out for the cleanliness of both the b-rooms!)
Ramirez's reno is a win for Milwaukee. It makes sense, it looks great and it generates even speedier service. Yet the authentic feel is unchanged, and that's what matters most to those of us who dig The Mothership.
“It’s still The Mothership—just sharper, faster, and more dialed-in,” says Ramirez. “We’re proud of what we’ve built and excited to keep pushing forward while staying true to what makes it a Milwaukee bar at its core.”
The Mothership is open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 2:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The Doobie Dogs truck parked outside the bar slings creatively topped Nathan's all-beef hot dogs Wednesday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
To read more about The Mothership, go here.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
