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The Coffee Syrup Story

The Coffee Syrup Story

To most Rhode Islander's, coffee syrup is a staple found in the cupboards and fridges in many homes. But, for those who have never heard of it, coffee syrup might be a mystery! So, here's the lowdown on coffee syrup, (which is used to make the Official State Drink of Rhode Island... Coffee Milk).

Rhode Island Coffee Syrup Soda Jerk

Legend has it that the origins of coffee syrup date back to the 1930's in Rhode Island where corner pharmacies were looking for a new beverage to target to children. The creative soda jerk (yeah, that was actually the title of the person operating the soda fountain), came up with a concoction of coffee sweetened with lots of sugar and reduced down into a syrup. They would then add this syrup (coffee syrup) to either a glass of cold milk, a.k.a. coffee milk, or add it to a milkshake, a.k.a. a coffee cabinet.

The new beverage was a big hit with children and adults alike in Rhode Island. But, for some reason, locals kept coffee syrup a close guarded secret. Coffee milk became something that only real Rhode Islander's knew about.

The first mass distributed coffee syrup was made by Autocrat Coffee of Lincoln, Rhode Island. And, Autocrat Coffee still produces coffee syrup to this day.

When Dave's Coffee set out to create our own coffee syrup, we decided to improve on what was currently being made by formulating an all natural recipe with no corn syrup, no artificial flavors or colors, no corn sweeteners and no preservatives. So, that's exactly what we did.

Dave's Coffee syrup is 100% All Natural. The process begins with a select Brazilian coffee that is hand roasted and then ground and cold brewed for eighteen hours. This cold brew extracts all of the flavor and body of the coffee while minimizing the acidity. The cold brewed coffee is then combined with pure cane sugar and  gently simmered for two hours to produce a thick, amber syrup that is velvety smooth and amazingly delicious!

Dave's Coffee syrup has lots of creative uses far beyond official Rhode Island Coffee milk and coffee cabinets. Customers have been using coffee syrup to glaze meats on the BBQ, caramelize root veggies like carrots, candy yams, mix cocktails, and drizzle over ice cream or berries and yogurt!

The smokey goodness and sweetness of Dave's All Natural Coffee Syrup will have you reaching for the signature amber bottle whenever more than you would imagine! 

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