Covent Garden is getting New York-inspired cocktail bar called Cato

Covent Garden is getting a New York-inspired cocktail bar that sounds like it could be very useful for brightening up January.

Called Cato, the bar is inspired by Cato Alexander, a New York bartender from the 18th Century, about whom Wikipedia says: "cocktail historians consider him to be 'America's first celebrity bartender.'" We didn't know there was such a thing as cocktail historians, but there you go. It comes from bartender Angelos Bafas (aka @mr.ungarnished), most recently known for the excellent Nipperkin bar and the Kioku Sake Bar.

There will be three parts to Cato. On the ground floor, you'll find The House of Julep. The Julep was Cato Alexander's signature cocktail, so that's the focus here, with the cocktails only using herbs grown on-site.

Downstairs is the main bar, with the first menu being "Colour Has Flavour", which is inspired by synesthesia. Here, you'll find cocktails like:

BROWN - Blending Scotch whiskies with foraged medlar and mushroom spirit, brown vermouth, fermented wild mushrooms and smoked Cornish tea
GREEN - Made with pod pea vodka, Norfolk shiso, South Devon jalapeño liqueur, dry vermouth and gooseberry brine
YELLOW - Featuring chamomile spirit, foraged sweet clover, yellow jun and dried meadowsweet

Finally, there will be the Study, which will be for pop-ups, masterclasses and the like. As for food, they'll have "elevated American classics" like fried oysters, burgers and toasties.

It's been a while since we've had a completely original bar in central London, so this should be on any cocktail lover's radar.

Covent Garden is getting New York-inspired cocktail bar called Cato