Raise your glasses in Hawaii's capital

When you fly to Hawaii, you are probably not expecting much in the way of sophisticated drinks - the Mai Tai, sure, sweetened from its original 1940s formula by adding plenty of pineapple juice to the rum, and that drip coffee United States hotels serve by the bucketful - but good coffee and cocktails? No way. However, you would be wrong. In recent years, Honolulu's drinking scene has gone from strength to strength. Here are five places to sip quality in the Hawaiian capital.

Gorilla in the Cafe
This cutely named cafe tucked into a Waikiki office building is easily the best coffee outlet in this tourist zone. Working behind an apple-green espresso machine beneath industrial lightbulbs, its baristas serve 100 per cent Hawaiian coffee. Australians apparently seek this place out. The barista tells me he knows what a long black is, and serves up a creditable approximation. It is excellent.

Bevy
When Liverpool-born barman Christian Self came to Honolulu, he spotted a bar opportunity in the gentrifying neighbourhood of Kaka'ako. ''This place was a strip club at one point, then a sports bar, maybe a gambling den. Now it's all about craft food and drinks,'' he says of Bevy. The ever-changing cocktail list includes gems such as the Ciderhouse Rule, made with ginger-flavoured liqueur, brandy, lemon, cider and chocolate bitters. Refreshing.

Honolulu Beerworks
Opening this month, this Kaka'ako bar houses the only craft brewery on the island of Oahu. ''It's reminiscent of what you see in Portland or San Diego,'' says owner Geoff Seideman. Within a corrugated-iron shed, it has a great no-nonsense vibe. I happily join Seideman in an advance tasting of the brewery's Pia Mahi'ai beer, an ale with a Hawaiian flair and an unmistakable hint of ginger.

The Manifest
This super-smooth cafe-bar is the star of Honolulu's revitalised Chinatown, transformed from a seedy red-light district to a hip neighbourhood of narrow streets and small bars. A former adult-movie cinema stripped back to the bare bricks, this large venue has fairy lights above timber tables, vibrant art on the walls and a fine cocktail list. ''It's always summer here in Hawaii,'' says barman Justin, as he makes me a Lilikoi Mule, a mix of vodka, passionfruit liqueur, bitters and ginger beer.

Rumfire
Forget the oversweet pre-mixed tourist Mai Tai. This bar within the Sheraton Waikiki will make from scratch the original 1944 recipe invented by Trader Vic. Barman Joe, who moved to Honolulu from the Philippines as a kid, happily mixes me this off-menu drink. The only juice in it is lime, although a wedge of pineapple does duty as a garnish. It is a drink worth seeking out, for the original Mai Tai tastes like a real cocktail, not alcoholic fruit juice. What a revelation.

The Study
Within the slick, contemporary hotel the Modern, this bar at the north end of Waikiki is not easy to spot during the day. Step into the lobby and you will see a large bookcase at one end, filled with books and framed art. Come opening time, however, the bookcase swings open to allow access. The drinks menu maintains this sense of playfulness with its literary-themed cocktails, including Wuthering Heights (rum and orange curacao rind liqueur), Dante's Inferno (gin, amaro and sweet vermouth), and War & Peace (whisky, lemon and fresh mint).