Williams & Graham

Williams & Graham opened in 2011 at 3160 Tejon Street in Highland, behind a working bookstore front whose bookcase swings open into the bar. Sean Kenyon opened it with partner Todd Colehour, and it went on to become one of the most decorated cocktail bars in the United States: a James Beard nominee for Outstanding Beverage Program, a World's 50 Best Bars listee, and a Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards winner, with a shelf of awards running from 2012 onward. A second outpost operates inside Denver International Airport on Pena Boulevard. The bar is open every night from 5pm to 1am and does not take the speakeasy conceit much further than the door: inside it is a working, high-volume classic cocktail bar with a kitchen, not a performance. The bar sits behind a working bookstore front on Tejon Street, and the door is the only piece of theatre; a kitchen runs alongside the bar and the room takes reservations as well as walk-ins.

The non-alcoholic drinks are listed on the same menu under the heading Temperance, one of five sections alongside Seasonal, Classic, Beers and Wine, and the section is unusually deep for a bar of this vintage. Seven options are current. Staycation ($12) builds The Pathfinder against chocolate and roasted corn with Coco Lopez. My Bitter Clementine ($12) is the one the press names most often, a spare blend of Earl Grey, clementine shrub, Giffard aperitif and lemon. Heat Seeker ($12) is the most aggressive, Three Spirit Nightcap and Amass Riverine with lime, gochujang and tea, Coco Lopez and cucumber. Imposter Syndrome ($12) layers Giffard aperitif, The Pathfinder and Giesen zero-proof sauvignon blanc over a strawberry rose living vinegar. Windowshopper ($12) uses Amass Riverine with lime, berry tea, Okinawa brown sugar and mint. Passionate Earl ($10) runs Earl Grey with green apple, passion fruit, lime and mint. House-made sodas in blackberry sage, ginger beer and orange cream are $8. Westword's January 1, 2026 round-up highlighted My Bitter Clementine and Staycation by name. At $8 to $12 the section is also priced below the full-proof list rather than at parity, which is unusual for a bar of this stature and makes it a realistic place to spend an evening not drinking.