OLYMPIA — In the home state of Starbucks, an effort is brewing to make coffee the official beverage.
It began percolating Friday when Rep. Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor, introduced a bill applying the designation to every cup of joe served up in the state.
“The coffee industry is a vital part of the Washington state economy that provides jobs and morning motivation for many state citizens,” she writes in the legislation. Washington is “well known as the espresso capital of the country.”
Many states have official beverages. Florida named orange juice its official drink in 1967, and Massachusetts did the same with cranberry juice in 1970, according to Netstate.com.
Kool-Aid is the state soft drink in Nebraska, and Alabama’s official beverage is Conecuh Ridge Alabama Fine Whiskey.
Bailey, who drinks a latte a day, said two Snohomish High School students brought the bill to her to sponsor because she had tried to do so previously. The students lined up six other GOP co-sponsors.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Bailey said. “Amidst all the tension and hard work we have ahead of us, we’ll need a coffee break.”
Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
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