Bay View Cocktail Bar Reopens After Flood Closure

The Mothership. Photo courtesy of The Mothership.

When flash floods swept through Milwaukee in August, a number of Bay View bars got, well, sloshed. The Mothership was hit particularly hard, with water levels reaching the ceiling in its basement, forcing an extended closure.

Now, the space-themed cocktail bar, 2301 S. Logan Ave., has returned.

Its Nov. 11 opening concluded months of intensive repairs, documented daily on bartender Jenneca Younger‘s social media, as she worked with fellow employees and volunteers to clear out damaged items, scrub the building top-to-bottom, restock inventory and—finally—shake up the bar’s first drinks following the three-month dry spell.

In addition to structural repairs, the business had to replace its walk-in coolers, compressors, sound system, freezer, juicers, kegs and merch. With thousands in community support—573 individuals donated a total of $64,431 through GoFundMe—the bar was able to get back on its feet, despite initial uncertainty.

“This is maybe the first time I thought there was no chance we would make it,” owner Ricky Ramirez shared in an online post.

Business is slowly ramping up, though the bar’s frequent refrain—”we don’t have everything!”—still holds. “No Hamms no drafts no clue,” The Mothership said on its Instagram page, adding, “We are happy to have the doors open again.”

Best known for its craft cocktails, The Mothership’s regular menu features original drinks like Silver City Special with mezcal, gin, pineapple, tamarind, miso and maple; a sweet-and-spicy Strawberry Pepper Gimlet; and the Boricua Martini — a gin-soaked riff on the island staple arroz con gandules. The bar also features a rotating cocktail special, along with canned and bottled beverages.

Resident food truck Dooby Dogs is also back in service.

The Mothership is open Sunday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Friday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

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