Reporting by Rachel Bernhard, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Mothership, 2301 S. Logan Ave., has had quite a year. It’s flooded twice since August 2025, forcing two temporary shutdowns, extensive basement repairs and a complete rebuilding of its inventory. At the beginning of its three-month hiatus in the fall of 2025, its owner, Ricky Ramirez, wasn’t sure it could ever reopen.
Then, in January, it was named a semifinalist for a James Beard Award in the national Outstanding Bar category.
After months of ups and downs, the clouds have parted, the Mothership is stronger than ever, and there’s another reason to celebrate: USA TODAY has named the Bay View cocktail bar as one of the 38 USA TODAY Bars of the Year for 2026.
“Owning and operating small businesses is anything but easy, and over the past seven years, we’ve definitely seen our share of reasons why a lot of people give up,” owner Ricky Ramirez said. “But getting acknowledged for our work in publications like this and others is what keeps us going; almost like little sparks of motivation. Our bar is quirky, it’s comfortable, and most of all, it’s ‘us.’ So getting this nod feels like someone saying, ‘I see you.’”
What makes The Mothership in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, stand out
From the outside, The Mothership looks like any of Milwaukee’s hundreds of corner taverns. Inside, however, it’s anything but. Aesthetically, it teeters between funky dive bar and good-time tiki tavern. Day-Glo leis hang from the walls, Chinese lanterns dangle from the ceiling, and the nearly pitch-black bathrooms are decked out in glow-in-the-dark paint. It’s a trip for the senses, and an indication that the bar doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Unless it comes to its cocktails.
Behind the bar, laid-back bartenders mix imaginative concoctions with a Latin-American bent. That representation is important to Ramirez, the son of Guatemalan and Dominican immigrants. Most of the bar’s spirits and wine come from Latin American countries, and cocktails are designed to taste like drinkable versions of Puerto Rican rice with pigeon peas or Guatemalan platanos en mole. And even though the bar’s motto is “we don’t have everything,” there’s something for everyone.
Turn-of-the-century cocktails, refreshing banana daiquiris and pints of Hamm’s flow (“$2 Hamm’s every day until we go out of business,” the bar promises). The blend of high-low drinks, the bar’s laid-back, irreverent attitude and refreshing sense of humor make it a mainstay for locals and a must-try for Milwaukee visitors.
Buy the book! ‘Shake & Sip: Recipes from the Best Bars in America’
What to order at The Mothership
Boricua Martini. Not for the unadventurous, this inventive martini is savory, spicy and a little briny – a spot-on flavor match for Puerto Rican arroz con gandules. It starts with olive leaf gin and builds flavor with sofrito – a foundational base of Puerto Rican cooking – that lends a little garlic-onion-red-pepper flair. Oregano and sazón seasoning add an herbaceous touch while tomato water drops an acidic punch. This is one savory sipper of a cocktail and a beautiful homage to a staple dish of Latin American cuisine.
Chapina en Oaxaca. When Ramirez created this cocktail, he was aiming for an Oaxacan old fashioned with the flavors of Guatemalan dessert plátanos en mole. He nailed it. Mezcal Amarás Espadín is infused with pipián, a sauce made with ground nuts and pumpkin seeds. It’s brightened with a touch of triple sec and sweetened with overripe plantain water. Finished with a touch of pumpkin spice, it’s warm and smooth with a punchy tequila kick.
Coconut Curry Painkiller. The Mothership is sometimes mislabeled as a tiki bar, perhaps because it executes its tropical-flavored cocktails so well. But they go deeper than mai tais and hurricanes. With this drink, the bar blends banana-tinged Monkey Shoulder scotch with rum, pours in a little acid-adjusted orange juice and papaya, swirls in turmeric-spiced coconut cream and adds a bit of ginger for bite. It’s cool and tropical with a musky undertone that keeps it from being cloying.
See the full menu.
Insider tip: Need some food to soak up your cocktails? Head out back to Dooby Dogs, the food truck parked on the Mothership’s back patio. It serves excellent gourmet hot dogs, fantastic smashburgers, loaded fries and more.
Details: 2301 S Logan Ave., Milwaukee; themothershipmke.com; Instagram: @themothershipmke
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee cocktail bar named one of best in US. Here’s what sets it apart
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
