Come to Mash for the spirits, stay for the musical offerings

Specializing in sour craft beers and upscale pub food, East Lansing’s Jolly  Pumpkin Café and Brewery overcame the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic to open its doors in fall 2020.

In the years since, the Michigan-based chain, which also has locations in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Dexter, Grand Rapids and Traverse City, has become a fixture of East Lansing’s downtown scene.

Assistant manager Rudy Richmond was tapped about a year ago to help facilitate the conversion of the adjacent space west of Jolly Pumpkin into a sister business. The idea was to bring Mash, a bourbon, whiskey and beer bar run by the same ownership group as Jolly Pumpkin, to the 4,800-square-foot space to appeal to those primarily looking for libations.

Featuring seating for 150 people and a stage equipped for live music, Mash opened its doors Jan. 25. It’s the third location of the small chain that started in Ann Arbor more than a decade ago, with a second opening in Ypsilanti in 2021. The East Lansing location is connected to Jolly Pumpkin via two hallways, but the spaces intentionally offer slightly different vibes.

Before Mash opened, Jolly Pumpkin only had a brewer’s license, meaning it couldn’t serve alcohol it didn’t make itself. With the addition of Mash, both can now serve third-party alcoholic beverages. Mash patrons can also order food from Jolly Pumpkin.

Mash’s focus, however, is the drinks. While specific offerings are subject to seasonal tweaks, the menu includes a fleet of specialty craft cocktails, 14 varieties of bourbon, 10 varieties of whiskey, nine types of wine, 10 beers on tap, additional canned and bottled beers and much more.

Initially, the idea was that the new venture would attract a slightly older crowd than typical East Lansing bars, somewhere between the ages of 25 and 40.

“I know that a lot of college students don’t really care for bourbon and whiskey and stuff like that. That can be an acquired taste once you get older,” Richmond said.

However, the crowd is largely dependent on the night. While Wednesdays and Sundays are great for a low-key drink after dinner, Mash hosts live music every Friday night and DJs on Thursday and Saturday nights.

“When we have the DJs, you’ll see more college students. On Friday nights, we’ll get a mixed crowd of people,” Richmond said.

The Friday night shows have proven to be “way more popular than we thought,” he added. “So much so that we now have two acts on Fridays. We’ll have a solo acoustic act that goes on at 7 p.m., and then we’ll have our main band, which goes on around 10 p.m.”

Having worked in the East Lansing restaurant and bar scene for close to a decade, Richmond has enough experience to know that the response he’s seen from guests so far is something special.

“When I was in college here, nobody cared about live music. It’s really kind of cool to be here to see how things have changed over time,” he said.

Mash Bar

212 Albert St., East Lansing

5 p.m.-midnight Wednesday, Sunday

5 p.m.-2 a.m. Thursday-Saturday

(517) 858-2100

mashbar.net