Cocktail · Medium strength
Painkiller
Dark rum, pineapple, orange, coconut, nutmeg — the British Virgin Islands' prescription.
How to order it: Pusser's rum if you're traditional. Fresh nutmeg on top is non-negotiable.
Flavor profile
The recipe
- 2 oz dark rum (Pusser's)
- 4 oz pineapple juice
- 1 oz orange juice
- 1 oz coconut cream
- Shake; ice; fresh nutmeg on top
The story
The Painkiller comes from the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands, so named because patrons swim ashore and pay with wet bills. Daphne Henderson is credited with perfecting it there in the 1970s: dark rum, pineapple, orange, and coconut under a snowfall of nutmeg. Pusser's Rum later trademarked the name, and in 2011 enforced it against a New York tiki bar called Painkiller, which had to rebrand, an episode the cocktail world has not entirely forgiven. The drink endures regardless, because it tastes like a beach with no Wi-Fi, which is what everyone was after all along.
Adjacent pours