Dean & Nancy on 22 has dropped a new cocktail menu, and instead of chasing trends, it’s locked into a clear brief: mid-century culture, executed with precision. Time Machine pulls from the 1950s and 60s and translates it into a 14-drink list that’s structured, interactive, and built to hold attention.
The menu itself does some of the heavy lifting. Guests rotate a selector to reveal each cocktail, tying the drinks back to specific moments or ideas. It’s functional, and more about pacing the experience than distracting from it.
In the glass, the drinks stay tight. Road Runner ‘Beep Beep’ lands as a tequila-based serve in a custom dynamite-shaped vessel, referencing the Warner Bros. Instant Camera pairs a clean vodka highball with a live Polaroid garnish that doubles as a takeaway. Black Box is one of the more grounded builds – macadamia-infused The Dalmore 12, citrus and blackberry – built as a nod to Australian inventor Dr David Warren and his flight recorder. Then there’s the Ginza Highball, which strips things back and focuses on balance, pulling influence from Japan’s post-war drinking culture.
The extended offering keeps things moving. Two ‘High Roller’ cocktails bring in heavier, rare spirit pours, while the ‘From the Trolley’ section is handled tableside.
Built alongside Maybe Sammy, Time Machine doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. It just tightens the concept, executes it cleanly, and lets the drinks do what they’re supposed to do.