The History of Chocolate Milk

A favorite of school-aged children in America for decades, chocolate milk was actually invented in Jamaica! Botanist Sir Hans Sloane often gets the credit for being the first person to add milk to a hot cocoa drink given to him by locals while he was studying in Jamaica. He brought the milk and cocoa drink back to England with him and for many years, it was sold as a medicine. However, historians point out that Jamaicans have been enjoying a hot beverage brewed from the shavings of fresh cacao boiled with milk and cinnamon since at least 1494, so the credit for this beloved favorite really belongs to them!