Order A Coffee Cabinet In Rhode Island And This Is What You'll Get (Hint: It's Not Furniture)

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Rhode Island may be the smallest state, but its culinary culture certainly isn't pint-sized. From the all-American hot weiner (which is absolutely not a hot dog) to the life-changing frozen lemonade, the Ocean State's got plenty of tasty regional specialties to go around. One delightful treat you can only order in Rhode Island is a coffee cabinet. You'd be forgiven for thinking this sounds like a cupboard in which you might store your favorite store-bought instant coffee brands. However, for Rhode Islanders, coffee cabinets have nothing to do with furniture.

In the Ocean State, a coffee cabinet is a refreshing blend of ice cream, milk, and coffee syrup. The milkshake-like treat has been a Rhode Island classic since the early 20th century, and it's a beloved summertime staple (and anytime pick-me-up) across the state. Why the heck it's called a cabinet remains a bit of a mystery – the most prevalent theory suggests that the blenders used to mix up the cool desserts were formerly kept in cabinets or boxes. These days, the term cabinet can refer to any variety of ice cream-based milkshake in Rhode Island, but the coffee version is by far the most popular.

The Rhode Island coffee cabinet is essentially the dessert version of the state's official drink, coffee milk (which is the perfect base for a boozy brunch drink). The exact origins of this refreshing combo of coffee syrup and milk are unclear, but most theories suggest it dates back to the early 20th century when an influx of Italian and Portuguese immigrants arrived in the area. As legend has it, some of them began mixing coffee syrup and milk to evoke the milky, sweetened coffee drinks they had traditionally enjoyed back home. From there, someone decided to add ice cream to the mix (always a great idea), and the coffee cabinet was born.

You can make a coffee cabinet at home by blending coffee syrup, a scoop of your favorite coffee ice cream (which probably does contain caffeine), and a splash of milk. Although there are several coffee syrups available, an authentic Rhode Island coffee cabinet should be made with Autocrat coffee syrup. This regional coffee syrup brand was founded in 1895 and remains the gold standard for coffee cabinets and coffee milk to this day. No matter what you call it, the coffee cabinet is a sweet Rhode Island specialty well worth a shake.