25 Drinks to Order in Hawaii Besides a Mai Tai

While the Mai Tai has become a Hawaiian staple, the local craft beer and spirits scene has exploded with new breweries, distilleries and bars. Using unique local ingredients, many of Hawaii's new breweries and bars tout drinks that not only are one-of-a-kind, but they're also made from start to finish right on the islands. Next time you visit, try one of these 25 drinks that aren't Mai Tais.

Kona Brewing Company, the first brewing company in Hawaii, utilizes their own hops, malt and proprietary yeast. The Lychee Lager, a seasonal golden-colored lager, is made using 50 pounds of hand-shucked locally grown lychee. In addition, the lemongrass found in the Lemongrass Ginger Luau is uniquely grown on-site at the houses of employees. Year-round options include the Longboard Island Lager, Big Wave Golden Ale and Fire Rock Pale Ale. Limited releases, like the Wailua Ale and Pipeline Porter, are available for just six months of the year.

For those who want to try something even more unique, the Jalapeño Mouth Amber Ale-brewed with fresh jalapeño chilies-is a must-order. Waikiki Brewing Company brews handmade craft beer on-site in their 20 barrel Kaka'ako brewhouse, located in Honolulu's Historic Brewing District. In addition to their nine beer core lineup, the brewers also frequently partner with local farmers and businesses for seasonal and limited release beers.

The Cocoweizen is a traditional Bavarian Hefeweizen with a local Hawaiian twist. Brewed with local coconut, pineapple and banana flavors, Honolulu BeerWorks brewers hand toast coconut for hours to create this tropical beer. Along with classic drinks, the brewery has a number of specialty drinks that include seasonal fresh hop beers, unique tropical fusion brews, and special collaborations with local businesses. Their latest, PussyGrabzBack, is a pink colored beer using a special hop blend that was made in collaboration with the Pink Boots Society in celebration of International Women's Day.

Opened in January 2016, Bar Leather Apron is an intimate bar and lounge in downtown Honolulu. The Matcha Old Fashioned here kicks the classic drink up a notch by using Evan Williams Single Barrel vintage bourbon, Wasanbon (a Japanese cane sugar), orange bitters and a ceremonial grade Matcha tea powder sourced directly from Japan. Since the bar only sits 8-10 people, advanced reservations are highly recommended.

Sheldon Simeon, Hawaii's golden boy superstar, recently opened restaurant Lineage. Here, the Top Chef alum dishes out cocktails and food inspired by his family and upbringing in Hilo. The Maneki-Neko, their Hawaiian take on a Lemon Drop, features Russian Standard Vodka, jackfruit shrub, sour orange, almond spice liqueur, ginger and egg white. As a final touch, the cocktail is also topped with flakes of gold dust.

The Ola Brew IPA, made from island-grown ingredients, is double dry-hopped and balanced with notes of sweet grapefruit, mango and passion fruit, finishing with an earthy and herbal taste. Recently opened Ola Brewing Co. has become so popular that their canned IPA, which is also their best seller, is already available across the state in popular chains such as Walmart and Costco.

A favorite gastropub in West Hawaii, Kona Tap Room offers 16+ beers on tap, including some which are exclusive to Hawaii brews. The Paddleboard Mojito uses Kona's Longboard Lager with Bacardi, a house-made specialty mix and mint, giving the classic cocktail a Hawaiian spin.

If you're one of those cocktail drinkers that can't seem to get away from the Mai Tai, try your hand at a Blue Hawaii. Invented in 1957 by a local bartender at Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, the drink consists of the company's Bols Blue Curacao liqueur, rum, vodka, pineapple juice and sweet and sour. The beautiful cocktail is said to be as blue as the Pacific Ocean.

Ko Hana, a Hawaiian Cacao and honey infused rum, is crafted from farm to bottle by Manulele Distillers and made from start to finish in Hawaii. Farmers hand cut sugarcane before pressing the juice and then processing it into rum. Manulele Distillers offers a tour that includes a walk around the grounds, a history on sugarcane and rum production in Hawaii, a walk-through of the aquaponics farm and a look at the rum distilling process. At the end of the tour, you are treated to four different rums (two white, two brown) and their rum cake.

The Kuhio Club is a play on Philadelphia's classic "Clover Club" pre-prohibition era cocktail, made with a local Maui gin called Fid Street Gin, mint, raspberry syrup, lemon and egg white. The egg white adds a delectable frothy white head that is topped with their Hideout Logo, made completely of edible rice paper.

Hawaii's highest brewery sits at 2,764 feet above sea level in Kona, where their handcrafted beer is sourced and made locally. The White Mountain Porter is brewed with all-natural toasted coconut and roasted Hamakua Coast White Mountain Coffee with hints of hoppy spice and chocolate, resulting in a very creamy sip with hints of coffee.

The Winter Sun Mead is crafted from Kauai wildflower honey, starfruit and passionfruit (lilikoi). Each sip provides a balance between the tropical fruit and caramelized bourbon undertones. The Nani Moon Mead Collection is made from Kauai grown fruits, spices and honey from Nani Moon's own apiaries. Nani Moon Meadery cultivates their own bees for their honey in addition to sourcing other fresh ingredients from local Kauai growers.

Tahiti Nui offers cold-pressed juices with gin/vodka. The Puff The Magic Dragon is the healthiest alcoholic drink you'll ever have. The green juice portion is made with Akamai Juice Co.'s Organic Local Aloe, avocado, basil, bok choy, cilantro, cucumber, kale, lime dandelion greens, Ni'Oi Chili, parsley, pineapple, swiss chard and turmeric, and the green juice is mixed with Tito's handmade organic vodka.

The Roy's in Hawaii are all still owned and operated by famed local chef Roy Yamaguchi himself and his Hawaiian Martini has been Roy's signature cocktail for more than two decades. The Hawaiian Martini is a pineapple infused cocktail made with vodka, vanilla flavored vodka and coconut flavored rum. Roy's signature drink can be seen infusing in glass jars all around the restaurant's bar.

Mina's Fish House is famous for their locally inspired cocktails that utilize fresh tropical fruits that are grown on the island. The Rum For Your Life cocktail features Kô HANA KEA RUM, lemon juice, ginger liqueur and red-rum over crushed ice, presented in an Instagrammable green tiki mug. Ko Hana Agricole Rum is a farm-to-bottle single-varietal Hawaiian rum made from 34 varieties of heirloom sugar cane that have been hand-harvested and pressed into juice and distilled.

More than half of the tropical fruit grown in Hawaii falls to the ground and never makes it to market. Ola Brewing Co takes some of would be wasted island-grown fruit and creates tasty hard ciders. Their white pineapple and dragonfruit ciders are the most popular, but lychee, ginger, and rambutan ciders have also been a hit. Keeping it local, the ciders and beers are made with tropical fruits by Hawaii's residents.

According to Maui Brewing Company, their Coconut Hiwa Porter was the first beer to use Hawaiian coconut instead of an extract during the brewing process. Brewed with six different varieties of toasted coconut, malted barley and hops, each sip has a taste of chocolate, coconut, and coffee notes.