Despite being the smallest state in the U.S. geographically, Rhode Island boasts a larger-than-life culinary heritage. One of the many foods you have to try if you visit Rhode Island is a deeply-cherished beverage known as coffee milk by locals. A simple, yet delicious drink, coffee milk is the official beverage of Rhode Island and is made with just two ingredients: coffee syrup and milk.
Coffee milk is a nostalgic staple of Ocean State foodie culture. Often served in cartons at school cafeterias, coffee milk is remarkably similar to chocolate milk in concept. Just like how chocolate milk can be readily made at home using pre-made chocolate syrup, Ocean State residents combine milk with coffee syrup, which is essentially a sweetened, store-bought concentrate made from coffee. The result is a sweet, refreshing beverage that almost tastes like you melted down coffee ice cream into a liquid form or a lightly-flavored iced latte.
While coffee isn’t always considered a children’s beverage, coffee milk’s caffeine content is low enough for both kids and adults to enjoy coffee milk whenever they please. Not only that but coffee milk is considered an acceptable way for Rhode Island children to regularly consume milk, helping them get their daily calcium intake. Making this beverage at home couldn’t be any easier. Simply stir two tablespoons of coffee syrup into a glass of milk until combined. If you like a stronger coffee flavor, feel free to add more coffee syrup to taste, or add less for a lighter flavor.
How did coffee milk become a Rhode Island favorite?
The origins of coffee milk are muddy, but some believe the drink can trace its roots to Southern Italy. It’s been said that Italian Americans invented coffee syrup to help conserve their coffee supplies. After making a nice cup of joe, coffee grounds are typically too weak to reuse for a second batch, but it’s believed the Italian Americans used their leftover grounds to make the first-ever coffee syrup. From there, the syrups made their way into Rhode Island’s newly established diners, where they quickly caught on in the Ocean State.
Another theory is that in the 1930s, a Rhode Island-based soda jerk created coffee milk whilst he was tinkering around, looking for new kid-friendly drinks to serve at his soda fountain. The soda jerk is said to have concocted a potent coffee and sugar mixture, combining the syrup with milk for a seemingly “adult” beverage suitable for children. Once the other soda fountains got word of this new coffee milk sensation, it spread like wildfire.
It wasn’t until 1993 that coffee milk became formally recognized as Rhode Island’s state drink, beating out Del’s Lemonade. Today, the drink continues to be a local staple and has also been transformed into a dessert drink. This even sweeter version of coffee milk is Rhode Island’s coffee cabinet drink, a milkshake made from coffee milk and coffee ice cream blended together until smooth.
