What Is Coffee Milk And Why Do Rhode Islanders Love It So Much?

If you, like so many others, are a lover of all things coffee, from a hot cuppa joe at your local diner to the hard candies found at the bottom of your grandma's purse, then you might just fall for coffee milk. Rich and creamy, the official beverage of Rhode Island (since 1993) can be compared to chocolate or strawberry milk.

Unlike milk-based coffee drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos, or café au lait (which literally means coffee with milk), coffee milk is a liquid snack made with a sweet, coffee-flavored syrup that gets mixed into a tall glass of cold milk. The sweetener is akin to Fox's U-Bet, a key component in that nostalgic afterschool treat, the egg cream soda. In fact, a lot of Rhode Island-born kids grow up drinking coffee milk before trying the real thing, as the caffeine levels are well below your average cup of coffee. Just how popular is the drink among Rhode Islanders? You can find it all over the Ocean State, from restaurants to grocery stores.

Coffee milk's popularity in Rhode Island is likely a matter of pride. After all, the sweet and creamy beverage was invented there. While its origins are up for debate, one theory is that it came to the state by way of southern Italian immigrants who moved there in the early 20th century and shared their love of strong coffee with their new neighbors — including a bitter brew that was sweetened. As the story goes, when the soda fountain craze eventually swept across the country in response to Prohibition, offering people places to gather over non-alcoholic beverages, one enterprising Rhode Island shop owner found a use for his spent coffee grounds by steeping them with sugar, creating a rich, syrupy infusion. He mixed the sweetened substance with cold milk, and the iconic beverage was born. It wasn't long before companies selling the syrup sprouted up and local dairies began bottling their own versions, allowing residents to enjoy the drink at home.

Coffee milk is great on its own, but it's also classically paired with another local delicacy: hot wieners. These bun-bound creations are undoubtedly one of the best sandwiches to order in Rhode Island. (Think hot dogs, but better.) You can also upgrade your coffee milk by adding ice cream, making a shake that's colloquially referred to as a coffee cabinet. Delekta Pharmacy, a stuck-in-time drugstore and ice cream parlor in Warren, Rhode Island, has been known for its coffee cabinets for decades. They can also be found at Green Line Apothecary, a retro take on the genre with locations in Providence and Wakefield that serves regular and vegan coffee cabinets.

If you can't visit the great state of Rhode Island, you can at least get your hands on some coffee syrup and make this vintage drink at home. Many Rhode Islanders stick with Autocrat and Eclipse, two brands that were once rivals (Autocrat bought out Eclipse in 1991). Coffee Time Syrup is another option made by Autocrat that's available primarily outside of the Ocean State, but the whole kit and caboodle was purchased by British coffee and tea supplier Finlays in 2014.

Another option comes from Rhode Island coffee roaster Dave's Coffee, which makes its own all-natural coffee syrup, and fans proclaim it offers a more robust coffee flavor. For this boutique product, Dave's roasts Brazilian beans, which are then ground, cold brewed, and combined with pure cane sugar. The mixture is simmered, which caramelizes the sugar, giving it a syrupy consistency. Thankfully, Autocrat, Coffee Time, Eclipse, and Dave's are all available to order through Amazon. All you need now is a cold glass of milk.