A sweet, caffeinated kick! Make bold, homemade Coffee Syrup to add flavor to cocktails and desserts, and to make Rhode Island's favorite drink, coffee milk.
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If you're like me, you can't get enough coffee—and not just to drink! I'm talking coffee in cookies, coffee in ice cream, coffee in candy! And here's one more thing to add to that coffee lover's list: Coffee Syrup.
Coffee syrup is a sweet syrup that you can mix into drinks and drizzle over sweets. The inspiration for the recipe came after a visit to Rhode Island where the folks absolutely adore coffee syrup whisked into milk and milkshakes.
In a nutshell...
- What It Is: A sweet, robust coffee syrup made from real brewed coffee, inspired by a classic Rhode Island soda fountain treat. It's the secret to making the state's official drink: coffee milk!
- You'll Love This Part: It's quick to make and gives you a rich, coffee-lover's flavor to drizzle over ice cream or whisk into drinks. And you know exactly what goes into it.
- How To Make It: Simmer brewed coffee with sugar and espresso powder. Stir in flavor extracts, then let it cool.
Jump to:
- What is Coffee Syrup?
- What fellow home cooks are saying:
- Why is coffee syrup a Rhode Island favorite?
- Eats on the road in Rhode Island
- How to make coffee milk
- Why you'll love this recipe
- 🔪 How to make Coffee Syrup
- What can you use Coffee Syrup for?
- FAQs
- Tips!
- Don't just take my word for it:
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
What is Coffee Syrup?
Coffee lovers, take note! Coffee syrup is exactly what it sounds like—a sweet syrup chock full of robust coffee flavor. It's made in the same way that other simple syrups and drink syrups are made, by simmering liquid and sugar together.
My Coffee Syrup recipe is made with real, brewed coffee for the very best flavor.
What fellow home cooks are saying:
"I just made this syrup with strong brewed coffee out of a Moka Pot. It turned out really good, amazing flavor. I really enjoyed it. Thank you." — Matthew
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Why is coffee syrup a Rhode Island favorite?
Rhode Island loves coffee syrup because it was created there! It's a New England original that came about in the turn-of-the-century heyday of soda fountains, where pharmacists and soda jerks created flavored syrups for milkshakes, sodas, and sundaes.
The Providence Journal shares that Italian-American residents came up with the idea for coffee syrup as a way to reuse coffee grounds—after brewing coffee, the grounds hold just enough flavor for a batch of flavored syrup. The most famous coffee syrup brand is the Rhode Island-born Autocrat.
Another fun fact: it's in Rhode Island that coffee syrup is used to make the Official State Drink—coffee milk. This drink is such a favorite that for a time, elementary school kids enjoyed cartons of coffee milk with their school lunches!
Read more!
Eats on the road in Rhode Island
Where they use coffee syrup to make coffee milk and coffee cabinets!
How to make coffee milk
Try the Rhode Island state drink for yourself! Pour 1-½ cups of ice-cold milk into a tall glass. Add in four tablespoons of Coffee Syrup, and stir the milk well until it's blended. Take a sip and enjoy your sweet, coffee-flavored treat!
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Why you'll love this recipe
Coffee Syrup is quick to make and has lots of rich, coffee flavor. Because you make it yourself, you know exactly what goes into it.
The syrup is simmered on the stovetop and then cooled. You can use it to make so many coffee-flavored treats!
🔪 How to make Coffee Syrup
Ingredients:
- Brewed coffee: Use fresh-brewed coffee, the stronger the better! My preferred coffee brand is Vermont Coffee Roasters.
- Sugar: Use granulated sugar to turn that coffee into a thick, sweet, coffee syrup.
- Espresso powder: I add a little instant espresso powder to the mixture to really deepen the coffee flavor.
- Extracts: The coffee flavor of this syrup is elevated thanks to vanilla extract—and, just a dash of rum extract. The rum flavoring is optional, but the hint of rum flavor nicely accentuates the coffee flavor in this syrup.
Simmer the ingredients
Mix the ingredients together and bring them to a simmer in a saucepan, simmering until they reduce and thicken.
Cool
Let the syrup cool to room temperature, and then chill.
What can you use Coffee Syrup for?
Stir it with ice-cold milk for a refreshing coffee milk (see below), add it to a vanilla milkshake to make a coffee cabinet—that's Rhode Island-speak for milkshake.
You can also drizzle the syrup over ice cream, fruit crisp, or morning waffles. Try it with my peanut butter French toast!
Use coffee syrup as a cocktail syrup, to add a hit of sweet coffee flavor to drinks like an espresso martini, white Russian, or a coffee-flavored old fashioned.
FAQs
Yes, the coffee syrup should be stored in the refrigerator. This will help the syrup last as long as possible and prevent mold or off flavors from forming.
If you frequent Starbucks and other cafes, you know it all comes down to the pumps—aka, how much flavored syrup goes into your drink with each pump of the bottle. One pump of Coffee Syrup equals a ¼-ounce or 1-½ teaspoons.
Tips!
- The Coffee Syrup should be slightly thickened after the simmering step.
- When simmering the Coffee Syrup, watch the saucepan carefully, because the syrup can quickly foam up and boil over! Stir it often and reduce the heat slightly if necessary to prevent boilovers.
Don't just take my word for it:
"This worked exactly as written, thanks!" — Christian M.
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Ready to make your own flavored syrup and coffee-flavored concoctions? The Coffee Syrup recipe is below! Here are a few treats to enjoy alongside a cold glass of coffee milk:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Coffee Syrup, Rhode Island-style
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Ingredients
- 1 cup strong brewed coffee
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon rum extract (optional)
Instructions
Simmer:
- Whisk together the coffee, sugar, and espresso powder in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer the syrup for 11 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until the syrup is slightly reduced and thickened.
- Move the pan off of the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and the rum extract (if using.)
Cool:
- Let the syrup cool to room tempertaure. Pour it into a bottle or a small mason jar. Store the coffee syrup in the fridge for up to one month.
- Makes about 7 ounces of coffee syrup.
Notes
- When simmering the Coffee Syrup, watch the saucepan carefully—the syrup can quickly foam up and boil over! Stir it often and reduce the heat slightly if necessary to prevent boil overs.
Nutrition
Matthew says
I just made this syrup and it turned out really good. My 1 cup of strong brewed coffee was made out of a Moka Pot, where the coffee would be at the strongest. Amazing flavor. I really enjoyed it. Thank you
Nancy Mock says
Hi Mathew, Oh I bet that syrup is really potent made with Moka-brewed coffee, great choice! I'm very happy to hear that you're enjoying this syrup. If you have time, let me know how you're using it. Thanks so much for trying my recipe!
Matthew Bull says
I have a catering that I'm doing for a wedding. I have to make 6 cheesecakes and 6 pies. one of the cheesecakes that I'm making is a chocolate Caramel espresso. I'm making 2 things of it. #1 a syrup just like the recipe you offered. This will give it a nice flavor. I'm doing another one where it will be thicker for the actual drizzle.
Nancy Mock says
Those are great ideas! And thanks for the tip on the Crown syrup, I'll look for it.
Guest says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Nancy Mock says
So easy, right? Thanks for giving the recipe a try!