A Speakeasy Is Coming to JFK Airport

It’ll be nice to get away at some point again.

And by get away, we mean get away when we’re back in a crowded airport (is it OK to miss crowded airports? Because we do.) Helping you find some peace of mind amidst busy travel holiday times: the new Centurion Lounge at New York’s JFK Airport, featuring a cocktail bar speakeasy from the one of the world’s most renowned bartenders.

So first, yes, AmEx lounges are reopening, albeit with new precautions. The JFK one is new, however; located in Terminal 4, the two-story hideaway features a restaurant run by a Michelin-star chef, a coffee bar, Equinox spa services and 1850, a speakeasy hidden behind a copper-paneled wall, with a cocktail and wine selection curated by Jim Meehan (Gramercy Tavern, Pegu, PDT) and Anthony Giglio (Food & Wine’s Wine Guide).

While this isn’t the same hidden pleasure as Meehan’s former NYC stomping ground of Please Don’t Tell — the underground speakeasy behind a telephone booth in a hot dog joint in the East Village — it will offer top-notch cocktails and food. Drinks highlights include the Cosmonot (Ford’s Gin, Lemon Juice, Cointreau, Bon Maman Raspberry Preserves) and Port in a Storm (Rye Whiskey, Vermouth, Noval Black Port, Hella Aromatic Bitters).

You can access these AmEx lounges for cardholders if you hold a Platinum Card from American Express or The Business Platinum Card from American Express; those cardholders can bring in two guests.