Coffee milk
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Coffee milk is a drink similar to chocolate milk; however, instead of chocolate syrup, coffee syrup is used. It is the official state drink of Rhode Island in the United States of America.[1]
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[edit] History
Coffee milk was introduced to Rhode Island sometime in the early 1930s. It came about from creative diner and drugstore operators trying to attract new customers with creative drinks. One of these operators, who is lost to history, sweetened leftover coffee grounds with milk and sugar. This created a molasses-like extract that became popular. Coffee milk became a favorite among Rhode Islanders and created a demand for this coffee syrup. The demand was so great, that in 1993, it beat out Del's Lemonade as the official drink of Rhode Island. [2]
[edit] Availability
In southeastern parts of the U.S. region of New England, it can be found in the dairy case of stores right next to other flavored milks such as chocolate and strawberry, and is often found on the beverage menus of diners throughout the state.
One such diner, Friendly's, actually offers free refills on coffee milk. This is very surprising since it is not as inexpensive to produce as most drinks that are granted free refills.
The drink is difficult to find outside of the New England region, however, and travelers requesting it are often mistakenly served coffee with milk. One well-known brand of coffee syrup is "Autocrat". The Autocrat company, which also produces the Eclipse and Coffeetime brands, is based in Lincoln, Rhode Island.
[edit] Timeline
- 1930s- Coffee milk was introduced to Rhode Island.
- 1932 - The Silmo Packing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts, began marketing a more refined version called "coffee syrup", under the Silmo name.
- 1938 - Eclipse of Warwick began marketing a more refined version of what was being made and called it "coffee syrup." Their slogan was, "You'll smack your lips if it's Eclipse."
- 1940s- Autocrat of Lincoln begin making their own mixture of corn syrup and coffee extract. Autocrat's slogan is "A swallow will tell you."
- 1991 - Both companies, Autocrat and Eclipse, used to vie for the coffee syrup business. Their rivalry ended in 1991, when Autocrat bought the Eclipse brand name and secret formula. Both labels are now produced by Autocrat and are available in stores.
- 1993 - After much political debate the Rhode Island State Legislature proclaimed Coffee Milk as "The Official State Drink of Rhode Island" on July 29, 1993. The Providence Journal-Bulletin newspaper covered the story.
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