Coffee milk is made by blending sweet coffee flavor with cold milk — and it's Rhode Island's official state drink. You can make your own version at home by brewing Serenity Shore Coffee's Caramel or Fiesta Chocolate the night before, letting it chill in the fridge overnight, then mixing it with milk over ice in the morning for a rich, dessert-like twist on the classic.
What Is Coffee Milk?
Coffee milk's roots trace back to Rhode Island's Italian-American community and old-school soda fountains, where coffee syrup was stirred into milk as a treat — much like chocolate syrup was used elsewhere. Autocrat, a coffee syrup brand made in Lincoln, RI since the early 1900s, became the drink's most iconic name. In 1993, Rhode Island made it official, naming coffee milk the state drink over several other contenders, including milk itself.
Traditionally, coffee milk is made using a bottled coffee syrup like Autocrat or Eclipse, both New England staples for over a century. We're taking that same idea and building it around real, brewed coffee instead — our own spin on the classic, not a replacement for it. Swapping the syrup for real coffee gives you that same sweet, milky drink with a fuller, more complex coffee flavor behind it.
Why Brewing Ahead and Chilling Overnight Works So Well
Brewing your coffee hot the night before and letting it chill fully in the fridge gives flavored coffees like ours time to settle and mellow — the flavor comes through clean and true by morning instead of getting muddied by heat in the moment. It's also just easy: brew before bed, and a fridge-cold batch of Caramel or Fiesta Chocolate is waiting for you the next morning, ready to mix into coffee milk before you head out the door.
How Do You Make Coffee Milk at Home?
The night before, brew a batch of either our Caramel or Fiesta Chocolate coffee and let it chill in the fridge overnight. In the morning, it's just two ingredients and a few finishing touches away from being ready.
Caramel Coffee Milk
- Drizzle caramel sauce around the inside of your tumbler or glass
- Fill it with ice
- Pour in your chilled Caramel coffee
- Top with cold milk (adjust the ratio to taste — more milk for a lighter drink, more coffee for a bolder one)
- Finish with whipped topping and another drizzle of caramel on top
Fiesta Chocolate Coffee Milk
- Drizzle chocolate sauce around the inside of your tumbler or glass
- Fill it with ice
- Pour in your chilled Fiesta Chocolate coffee
- Top with cold milk to taste
- Finish with whipped topping, a drizzle of chocolate, and a light dusting of cinnamon on top for a Mexican hot chocolate-inspired finish
(Full disclosure: Wendy's the one who adds the extra whip and cinnamon dust — she says presentation counts.)
Quick Takeaways
- Coffee milk is Rhode Island's official state drink — sweet coffee flavor blended with cold milk
- Brewing hot and chilling overnight is the best method for this recipe because it lets flavored coffees shine without bitterness
- Caramel and Fiesta Chocolate are both built for this — no extra sweetener needed
- The drizzle-inside-the-glass technique plus whipped topping gives it a coffee-shop presentation at home
- Adjust your coffee-to-milk ratio to taste — start with equal parts and go from there
Try It With Our Coffee
Ready to make your own? Grab a bag of Caramel or Fiesta Chocolate, brew a batch tonight, and wake up to coffee milk that's ready in minutes. Every bag helps fund the fight against human trafficking — 40% of profits from every purchase goes directly to organizations doing that work.
Breathe Deep. Sip Slow. Live Free.
Continue exploring: What Is the Difference Between Light and Dark Roast Coffee? | Single Origin vs. Blended Coffee: What's the Real Difference? | Why 40%? The Radical Generosity Behind Our Mission
