The Delaunay, a spacious, all-day brasserie, takes inspiration from the grand cafés of continental Europe – those understated places in which a tourist might, having sought only a pleasant brunch, find himself chatting to a circle of virtuosos on the next table.

Situated on the corner of Drury Lane, it’s a stone’s throw from countless sites that have long made the West End a microcosm of theatre culture that inspires dreams of visiting London in people around the world. At the time of writing, some of the nearest productions include The Play That Goes Wrong (at the Duchess Theatre) and Mamma Mia (at the Novello Theatre).

All manner of performance has taken place in Covent Garden for centuries. The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, for instance, dates back to the early 1660s, just after the advent of the English Restoration, when the ban on theatres was lifted. And it was here in Covent Garden, at almost exactly the same time, that Samuel Pepys jotted in his notebook the first ever reference to a Punch and Judy show on our shores.

No wonder that the Delaunay Bar, adjoining the main restaurant space, markets itself as the perfect place to enjoy a tipple before or after an evening at the theatre or local music venue. Each month, the Delaunay hosts a discussion with a famous face of the screen or stage, with recent guests including Sir Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage and Dame Harriet Walter.

Now, this elegant, Art Deco-inspired bar has launched “Theatreland”, a new cocktail menu that borrows a nickname for the West End while paying homage to its golden age of theatre – that is, between the 1920s and ’40s. In place of the half-baked, cryptic descriptions often found throughout so much of London’s cocktail scene, this menu provides interesting historical information about the glamourous era in question: the great actors, directors and productions by which the new cocktails have been inspired.

The very first drink listed in Theatreland, the Hay Fever, is apparently something of a showstopper. Since the menu’s recent introduction, this citrusy concoction has proven very popular among patrons. A novel twist on a negroni served on the rocks, it’s made from Chase pink grapefruit & pomelo gin, Italicus Rosolio, Campari and rose & grapefruit cordial. It’s based on Noël Coward’s comedy of manners, first staged at the Ambassadors Theatre in 1925, in which pandemonium descends on the country house where the protagonists have hoped for a relaxing weekend. The menu describes this cocktail as ‘sophisticated and fruity, with a little bit of bite – just like Coward’s subversive production’.

The drinks are approachable yet have unique flavour profiles, a difficult balance to pull off when curating new signatures. This owes to the fact they’re influenced in no small part by beloved classics. While the Hay Fever has the negroni for a muse, the Magic Flute – named after the opera by Mozart performed at the Royal Opera House in the 1940s – is a refreshing take on an espresso martini, combining Hennessy VS with Mozart white chocolate liqueur, espresso and chocolate bitters.

Even the Gielgud, which mixes amontillado sherry, Laphroaig 10YO whisky, honey, lemon juice and Stiegl-Goldbräu lager, demands less of an acquired taste than you might expect. Inspired by the actor and director Sir John Gielgud, who was revered in the 1930s for his portrayal of Hamlet, the drink uses ingredients whose flavour profiles would have been familiar to Shakespeare himself.

Finally, it’s worth noting that in addition to this playful tribute to a bygone era, the menu also contains a Revisited Classics section for those who know what they want, as well as low and zero ABV options.

For bookings, visit thedelaunay.com/menus/the-bar or call 020 7499 8558