Travelers Are Discovering America’s Best-kept Speakeasy Secret Is At Denver International Airport, Here’s What You Need To Know Now

Monday, July 21, 2025

Airports are not precisely wherever charm goes to thrive. With agelong waits, overcrowded terminals and fighting to make a connection, it’s not often 1 experiences existent magic successful an airdrome during a layover. Yet astatine nan Denver International Airport (DIA), there’s a delightful hidden concealed captivating travellers from each complete nan world: a swanky speakeasy concealed down what seems for illustration conscionable different run-of-the-mill bookstore adjacent to Gate A38.

Yes, that’s correct — America’s best-kept speakeasy concealed is correct successful beforehand of your face. And erstwhile you find it, you’ll perchance ne'er spot airdrome layovers nan aforesaid measurement again.

Hidden In Plain Sight: The Bookstore That’s Not A Bookstore

From nan outside, it resembles a nondescript airdrome bookstore. It’s nan benignant of sculpture that passers-by almost ne'er fuss to look astatine twice. But those successful nan cognize sidle successful and shove done a hidden door, and measurement into a full different era. Welcome to Williams & Graham, nan airdrome loop from nan venerated Denver cocktail bar, known crossed nan globe for its vibe, method and mystique.

Step wrong and you’re backmost successful nan 1920s. The walls are covered successful acheronian wood paneling, soft vintage lighting, and rows of hand-picked spirits. Every azygous item — from nan old-school fixtures to nan homemade portion menus — is designed to bring that private, hidden speakeasy world of Prohibition era New York to mind.

A Nod To The Roaring Twenties

Williams & Graham has much to connection than atmosphere. Serving up a high-end drinking experience, nan barroom features a paper of complete 60 hand-crafted cocktails and 500+ premium spirits – making it thing but your accepted airdrome lounge. Whether your sensation runs to nan perfectly balanced Old Fashioned aliases thing that ventures further from nan beaten path, this hidden gem has you covered, and successful style.

And yes, you tin book successful beforehand — past let for a leisurely two-hour model to unwind and savor nan acquisition successful full. For those stuck astatine DIA for an extended period, uncovering this concealed spot is simply a segment retired of a wealth hunt.

Prohibition’s Legacy In The Modern Age

And though astir deliberation of speakeasies arsenic nan domain of East Coast cities for illustration New York City and Chicago, Denver has its ain peculiar history of Prohibition. In truth, Prohibition reached Colorado astatine nan authorities level successful 1916, 4 years earlier nan nationalist instruction became nan rule of nan land. And while its underground drinking civilization did not person nan outward scatter of nan French version, it near a quieter people of secrecy and tenacity.

Williams & Graham afloat leans into that past, merging it pinch modern cocktail civilization to nutrient a abstraction that isn’t conscionable stylish but evocative. It’s a throwback that someway feels wholly contemporary.

From Coveted Local Wine To Worldwide Acclaim

This is nary specified gimmick aliases novelty pit stop. Williams & Graham has taken its position among nan world’s champion bars. It was honored a spot connected nan “World’s 50 Best Bars” by Drinks International and awarded “Best American Cocktail Bar” successful nan Spirited Awards. Its founder, Sean Kenyon, moreover won nan American Bartender of nan Year crown for himself.

The airdrome outpost maintains those precocious standards, serving a full-scale barroom programme that cares astatine slightest arsenic overmuch astir spirit arsenic it does astir atmosphere.

A New Era Of Airport Dining

That a speakeasy truthful polished would beryllium successful an airdrome is further grounds of a monolithic alteration successful nan measurement Americans travel. Long ruled by accelerated bully nutrient and cookie-cutter lounges, airports for illustration DIA are yet jumping connected nan eat section and play uniquely bandwagon. Well, successful 2025 alone, much than 30 eateries opened astatine DIA — capable to onshore nan airdrome connected Food & Wine’s database of nan apical 10 U.S. airports for nutrient and drink.

For those travellers conscionable passing through, it’s not astir sidesplitting clip anymore: it’s astir enjoying it. And obscurity is that much evident than astatine Gate A38.

A Layover You Want To Extend

Let’s look it, cipher wants to beryllium stranded successful an airport. But if you had to prime one, past Denver International — Williams & Graham, successful peculiar mightiness conscionable beryllium astatine nan top. This isn’t conscionable a bar. It’s an acquisition and a travel into nan past and an denotation of conscionable really acold airdrome hospitality has come.

So possibly adjacent clip you’re sprinting done DIA, return a infinitesimal to slow down. Behind an unmarked bookstore destruction is 1 of nan astir stunning, astonishing secrets successful American travel. And arsenic a result, an expanding number of visitors are uncovering it.