Painkiller
Dark rum, pineapple, orange and cream of coconut, with nutmeg on top. The Soggy Dollar Bar's 1970s beach drink from the British Virgin Islands — a Piña Colada with orange and a trademark attached.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Add the rum, pineapple juice, orange juice and cream of coconut to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds.
Strain over crushed ice in a tall glass or tiki mug.
Grate fresh nutmeg over the top and garnish with a pineapple wedge.
A thoughtful finish
- Fresh nutmeg is not a flourish; it is the drink's signature and the thing that separates it from a Piña Colada.
- The Soggy Dollar's ratio is four parts pineapple to one each of orange and coconut; the rum is dialled up by the customer — two ounces is a 'No. 2', three a 'No. 3'.
- Shake rather than blend. It is served over crushed ice, not frozen.
Common mistakes
- Coconut milk in place of cream of coconut. It is unsweetened and thin.
- Blending it into a slush. That is a Piña Colada's job.
- Calling it a Painkiller in a bar that Pusser's lawyers can reach, without their rum. It is a Soggy Dollar at home; the name is theirs commercially.
A few good questions.
What is the difference between a Painkiller and a Piña Colada?
Orange juice, nutmeg and the method. A Piña Colada is rum, pineapple and coconut blended; a Painkiller adds orange, is shaken over crushed ice, and is finished with nutmeg.
Do I have to use Pusser's rum?
At home, no — any rich dark or navy-style rum works. Commercially, Pusser's holds a trademark on the name and has enforced it.
What is a Painkiller No. 4?
Four ounces of rum in the standard drink. The Soggy Dollar numbers them by rum content; No. 2 is the sensible one.
Why 'Soggy Dollar'?
The bar has no dock. Guests swim ashore from their boats and pay with wet money.
Variations
- Piña Colada — Rum, pineapple and coconut cream, blended.
- Bahama Mama — Rum, coconut rum, pineapple and orange.
- Jungle Bird — Dark rum, Campari and pineapple.
- Virgin Piña Colada — Pineapple and coconut, no rum.
Where it comes from
c. 1971 · Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands · Daphne Henderson · Soggy Dollar Bar
Daphne Henderson ran the Soggy Dollar Bar on White Bay, Jost Van Dyke — named because sailors swam ashore and paid with wet money — and in the early 1970s she served a rum, pineapple, orange and coconut drink that she would not share the recipe for. Charles Tobias, the founder of Pusser’s Rum, drank enough of them to reverse-engineer it, began serving it at Pusser’s own bars, and in 1989 trademarked the name; the company has since gone after bars that make a Painkiller with any other rum. The original rum remains a matter of rumour, but Pusser’s — a navy-style blend — is now the convention, and the drink is served by strength: a No. 2, 3 or 4 by the ounces of rum.
Sources
- Pusser's Rum, Painkiller history, 1989 (archive)
- Jeff Berry, Potions of the Caribbean, 2014 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Painkiller, 2015 (reference)
Strength. About 1.33 US standard drinks at an estimated 8% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
A keeper?
Save this drink for your next cocktail hour.
Saved in this browser.The next great drink
might already be on your shelf.
Choose your bottles and mixers. Discover what you can make.