According to Pusser’s, The Painkiller originated at the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke Island. The bar looks amazing, and features not only the Painkiller, but also amazing white sand beaches. The setting is quintessentially Caribbean, and screams out for Tiki drinks. Featuring Pusser’s British navy aged blended rum, orange, pineapple, and cream of coconut – this cocktail can soothe what ails you, or help you sink deeper in waves of paradise.
The Painkiller
Combine all ingredients in a shaking tin vessel. Add ice and shake. Strain into a tiki mug or goblet filled with fresh ice. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg a slice of orange and a cherry.
[Recipe by Pusser’s Rum]
The painkiller is delightfully creamy, with a nice punch of tropical fruit and brightness citrus. The Pusser’s adds this wonderfully molasses notes and spice. The spice accentuates with the addition of nutmeg. With the creaminess of the coconut, painkillers pack a punch, but go down easy.
Drink Notes & Recommendations
Matt Pietrek and Carrie Smith do a great overview of the elements that are required for a Tiki drinks in Minimalist Tiki. Among the requirements are that a Tiki drink must have a sour element to help balance the sweetness. Based on this argument, the Pina Colada is a very nice tropical drink, but not necessarily Tiki drink. In fact, they go so far as to call it “a Pina Colada with the addition of orange juice and a heavier rum.”
While the argument is probably valid, the need for a classification split here is not super important. If you happen to like a Pina Colada, it probably doesn’t matter whether it’s Tiki or Tropical, but mostly that you enjoy it*.
Finally, the Painkiller is technically trademarked by Pusser’s Rum, and is only supposed to be made with Pusser’s – but availability is what it is.
- Rum – The official rum for a Painkiller is Pusser’s Rum. From a style perspective, if you are unable to obtain Pusser’s, consider a darker, demerara based rum.
- Pineapple Juice – We use dole small cans for small batching. You can juice your own, but it’s not needed.
- Orange Juice – Unlike pineapple, we recommend using fresh squeezed only.
- Cream of Coconut – The best coconut cream in our experience is Coco Lopez. That said, Coco Lopez can require some extra processing to prepare (cream of coconut is solid in the can, and needs to be loosened with heat). As a substitute, Coco Real is very effective and can be stored easily in the fridge if you desire it on the fly.
* – Unless of course you happen to be starting your own Tiki Bar, or hosting a gathering of tikiphiles – the you’ll probably want to avoid calling this a “tiki drink”