Rhode Island's Official State Drink Is Unexpected But Delicious

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Rhode Island is known for many things: its small size, its beaches and Gilded Age homes, and its fresh seafood, like mouth-watering lobster rolls. But the tiny state is also the home of a surprisingly tasty drink. What is coffee milk, and why do Rhode Islanders love it so much? Though most people haven't heard of coffee milk, locals have grown up on the drink, which consists of ice cold milk blended with a sweet coffee syrup. The taste is not like an iced coffee, but is more similar to chocolate milk, only substitute the chocolate syrup for one with coffee. Rhode Islanders also take the drink one step further with the coffee cabinet, which combines coffee milk with ice cream, making what is essentially a coffee-flavored milkshake.

Coffee milk has been part of Rhode Island's history for over 100 years. It's believed that locals were first introduced to the drink in the 1920's by Italian immigrants. The drink is so steeped in history for locals that the Rhode Island state legislature named coffee milk the official state drink of Rhode Island in 1993.

If you can't visit Rhode Island, you can still create coffee milk at home no matter where you live. Coffee syrup is the key to making the drink right, so you'll want to buy an authentic state favorite. Autocrat Coffee Syrup has been used in Rhode Island for making coffee milk since 1895, and is known to have the sweetest flavor. Other well-known coffee syrup brands produced in Rhode Island include Eclipse Coffee Syrup, which strikes a balance between sweet flavor and coffee taste, and Coffee Time Syrup, which is less sweet and has the strongest coffee flavor profile of the three.

Once you have the right syrup, all you need is milk. Whole milk, non-fat, soy milk, almond milk — anything works as long as the milk is nice and cold. If you choose to go the non-dairy route for your milk, just make sure to get a non-sweetened version so as not to compete with the coffee syrup taste. From there, it's simple. Pour in the coffee syrup, and stir, using as much or as little syrup as you want. A general rule of thumb is to start with one or two tablespoons of syrup per 8 oz. glass of milk, but the great thing about coffee milk is that it's easy to make and doesn't require careful calculations. There you have it: a simple, sweet drink that can be enjoyed by all ages, any time of day and any time of year.