Downtown Congress Street, Fourth Avenue, and the south end of Stone are the three drinking strips. Cocktails are surprisingly good in Tucson — high desert humidity is low so people drink slower — and the craft cocktail bars near Congress will hold up against anywhere.
For coffee, look for independent shops: Exo Roast, Cartel Roasting Co., Presta Coffee, Café Luce. Most do their own roasting and use desert-grown beans for some blends. Tucson takes its coffee seriously.