Restaurant puts new spin on historical drink

Like the original moonshiners who invented the infamous drink during Prohibition, Mash'd exudes a rebellious nature.

The restaurant aims to bring a new perception to the drink with a bad reputation, Mash'd General Manager Mike Vitale said.

"We're really trying to break the mold of what people look at companies and see," Vitale said.

Mash'd opened in 2013, bringing with it moonshine infusions and unique food combinations.

Not only is moonshine the signature beverage; but it is also included in some food recipes and in the restaurant's dcor.

Making moonshine originally began as an illegal way to avoid paying taxes on liquor, according to the "Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture." The beverage's name was likely coined because bootleggers would brew the drink by the light of the moon.

The restaurant is named for the mash—the mixture of ingredients—that makes moonshine.

Mash'd receives its moonshine from a distillery in Carrollton. The moonshine is then infused with different flavors at the restaurant.

"All of our infusions sit for a minimum of four days using fresh fruits [and] fresh spices," Vitale said.

Some moonshine flavors include the Pineapple Bomb ($9.50) and the Organic Berry Smash ($9.25). Patrons can see containers of moonshine in the infusion process displayed on one of the walls.

But the moonshine is not the only thing at Mash'd that experiments with flavors. Some of the food dishes also have a twist.

"We took what was American cuisine—things that are very famous [such as] ribs, mac and cheese—some worldly things like guacamole, pasta dishes [and] tacos, and we wanted to do a spin on them," Vitale said.

That "spin" includes adding a poblano and corn cream to traditional macaroni and cheese or putting bulgogi, a Korean beef dish, into a taco.

Other dishes, such as the barbecue sauce on the Bootleg Ribs ($18.95), have moonshine mixed into them.

Many aspects of Mash'd were inspired by the original moonshiners in the Appalachian Mountains, including the look of the restaurant, Vitale said.

The interior of the restaurant is composed of a large amount of wood and brick to reflect what brewers would have been surrounded by when making moonshine, he said.

"It was usually in barns, usually done in the woods," Vitale said. "So, we really tried to take on that industrial idea and add some rustic nature to it."

Guests can eat or drink in the dining room, at the bar or on the patio outside. Garage doors separate the bar and the patio, though they can be opened during fair weather.

The idea behind the restaurant is for people to have a celebration of life and to feel like they are "coming home," Vitale said.

"We want our guests to feel that from the time they walk through those doors until the time that they leave, they've come into our home and they're family to us," Vitale said.

• 3401 Preston
• www.mashd.com
• 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Mon.–Wed.,
• 11 a.m.–12 a.m. Thurs.–Fri.,
• 11 a.m.–1 a.m. Sat., 10:30 a.m.–10 p.m. Sun.