Portal:Rhode Island/Selected article/14

Coffee milk is a drink similar to chocolate milk which uses coffee syrup instead of chocolate syrup. It is the official state drink of Rhode Island in the United States of America. Coffee milk was introduced to Rhode Island sometime in the early 1930s. It came about from diner and drugstore operators trying to attract new customers with creative drinks. One of these now-anonymous operators 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 it beat out Del's Lemonade in 1993 as the official drink of Rhode Island. In southeastern New England, it can be found in the dairy case of stores right next to other flavored milks such as chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla, and is often found on the beverage menus of diners throughout the state.