Cocktail Time Machine immersive bar experience launches in Hackney at Timeless

Time travelling – being in the place where it happened, breathing in the atmosphere – has always fascinated humankind. When it comes to drinks, the journey could go a long way back, tracing the original recipes. Funicular Productions have now opened the doors for an experience that crosses time and space: the Cocktail Time Machine.

The collective of creators, whose output ranges from theatre to sensory immersive events, is the mastermind behind the award-winning The Murdér Express, a dining experience set on a makeshift train. The new project is set in Hackney, finding home inside the Timeless Bar, a new venue in London Fields, and celebrates the best concoctions of the past century. The Bar plays on the fact that it is always happy hour somewhere in the world. Clocks from different countries and cities adorn the exposed brick-clear industrial decor, while a long counter is ready to serve thirst-quenching solutions right in front of comfortable seats. The cocktail list is divided by decade, offering concoctions from the 20s Hanky Panky to the 90s Caipirinha, passing through a 50s Piña Colada and ending on a mysterious top secret concoction for the 2020s. To accompany the drinks, the kitchen menu boasts creations by MasterChef finalist Louisa Ellis.

When the hour strikes for the start of the time machine experience, the travellers are invited to pass through to the basement-level rooms, where the journey begins. Small companies are set on a quest to rediscover the genesis of three of the greatest cocktails of this era. The background changes and the group is thrown straight into Havana, which saw the rise of traditional highball the mojito.

The 1930s location shifts rapidly into a prohibition-era setting. Although different stories surround the origin of the Long Island Iced Tea, the experience moves us to accept a the Tennessee place of birth. Served in a rudimentary tin, the cocktail of this stop really takes you back to the raw material of its beginnings.

Last but not least, we return to London, in buzzy and multicolour Soho. The 80s brought to the city disco beats, funky trends, and the espresso martini, one of those drinks that could wake you up on the fuzziest of days.

With engaging bartenders and a good concept as a base, the experience proves to be a fun night out.

Cristiana Ferrauti
Photos: Filippo L’Astorina

To book the Cocktail Time Machine experience at Timeless Bar, Sidworth Street London E8 3SD, visit their website here.