National Chocolate Milk Day Date in the current year: September 27, 2024

Chocolate milk is just what its name suggests: milk flavored with chocolate. The birthplace of chocolate milk is Jamaica, and the person credited with popularizing the beverage is Hans Sloane, an Anglo-Irish naturalist and physician who served as personal physician to the governor of Jamaica in 1687–1688. During his time in Jamaica, Sloane encountered a hot beverage that locals made by brewing cocoa with water. He found the drink unpalatable due to its bitter taste that results from theobromine in cocoa and decided to improve it by adding milk.

By the mid-18th century, Nicholas Sanders, a grocer from Soho, began selling “Sir Hans Sloane’s Milk Chocolate” as a medical elixir. This product was arguably the first brand-name chocolate milk. By the mid-19th century, Cadbury’s was selling drinking chocolate in tins; the product’s trade cards claimed that it was based on Sloane’s original recipe.

However, there is evidence that Sloane was not the first person to mix cocoa with milk. In fact, an article titled Sir Hans Sloane’s Milk Chocolate and the Whole History of the Cacao by historian James Delbourgo mentions a hot beverage made by boiling cacao shavings with milk and cinnamon that was prepared by native Jamaicans as far bask as 1494.

Be that as it may, chocolate milk has become one of the most popular chocolate drinks. It is sold in several forms: as a ready to drink beverage and as a drink mix of cocoa powder and sweetener that needs to be mixed with milk. It is also possible to make chocolate milk by mixing cocoa and dairy or plant-based milk using a whisk or a blender. However, homemade chocolate milk is usually unstable so it needs to be consumed as soon as possible and stirred or shaken before consumption.

It should be noted, however, that commercial chocolate milk (both ready to drink and drink mixes) often contains high levels of sugar so it should be consumed in moderation. Although chocolate milk does contain some nutrients that your body needs, you shouldn’t rely on it for nutrients due to all the added sugar. It’s better to view chocolate milk as a treat and enjoy it occasionally – for example, on National Chocolate Milk Day.

On September 27, celebrate National Chocolate Milk Day by making your own chocolate milk from a drink mix or from scratch, comparing different brands of ready to drink chocolate milk, and spreading the word about the holiday on social media with the hashtags #ChocolateMilkDay and #NationalChocolateMilkDay.

If you like chocolate drinks, National Chocolate Milk Day is not the only holiday you can celebrate. Other food-related holidays dedicated to chocolate-flavored drinks include National Hot Chocolate Day (January 31), National Chocolate Milkshake Day (September 12), National Mocha Day (September 29) and National Hot Cocoa Day (December 13).