Painkiller Cocktail

A veritable vacation in a glass, this just-sweet-enough cocktail goes down very easily. Created in the 1970s at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands, the Painkiller lives up to its name, delivering plenty of booze in a frothy, nutmeg-dusted package. This tiki drink is full of rum and tropical flavors like pineapple and coconut, but if you aren’t a fan of super sweet drinks, don’t worry. This classic cocktail isn’t overly sweet, blending the dark rum, tropical fruit, and spicy nutmeg for a well balanced, very sippable drink.

What People Are Saying:
"Nothing better than a good painkiller! I've been to the Soggy Dollar many times and your recipe is spot on. Thank you." -OliveRing

How To Make A Painkiller Cocktail

INGREDIENTS

• Pineapple Juice: Pineapple juice is arguably the star of this cocktail. While the rum brings in the alcohol that makes this cocktail a cocktail, the sweet, acidic, tropical flavor of the pineapple juice really helps balance everything here. If you have fresh pineapple juice that is always better, but the store-bought stuff is just fine and easier.
• Dark Rum: You’ll often find rum in tiki drinks, but where light rum is called for in drinks requiring a milder flavor, dark rum demands attention. The dark rum brings notes of molasses and spices and a much bolder flavor. For drinks like a Painkiller, where you want to really taste some rum, dark rum is the way to go.
• Orange Juice: I’m calling for fresh squeezed orange juice here because I think it really makes a difference. Store-bought orange juice will still work, but it loses some of the citrusy zip that helps the orange juice shine through here. Plus, if you’re using an orange slice as a garnish, you’ll need oranges on hand anyway.
• Cream Of Coconut: Cream of coconut brings both a texture and flavor shake-up to this drink that makes it feel extra tropical. The creaminess of cream of coconut leaves a velvety texture in the cocktail, while also bringing in some sweet, almost nutty coconut flavor.
• Ice: You’ve got to have ice. And lots of it! Shaking a cocktail in enough ice makes all the difference in getting the drink properly chilled without watering the drink down too much. Whenever you shake with ice, you dilute the drink a little bit, but that is accounted for in the measurements. However, a too-empty shaker will lead to a less flavorful cocktail. So don’t be shy with the ice!
• Nutmeg: Nutmeg is a beautiful warming spice that goes perfectly with tropical, fruity flavors. It also compliments some of the spice notes in the dark rum and plays well with the creaminess of the cream of coconut.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Fill your cocktail shaker with ice—be generous—then add in all of your liquids. Pop the top of the shaker on securely and get to shaking! You’ll want to shake continuously, making sure the liquid hits the top, then the bottom of the shaker with each shake, for about 15 to 30 seconds, or until the shaker is very cold and frosty on the outside.

Then strain the drink into a prepared glass filled with ice and finish with a dusting of fresh grated nutmeg and garnish with an orange slice.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Double up! While this recipe only makes one cocktail, the ingredients can be doubled and shaken in the same cocktail shaker for 2 drinks! Any more than 2 drinks should be done in batches, with fresh ice.
• Batch this cocktail for big parties. Measuring, pouring, and shaking a bunch of individual cocktails is never the most fun thing to do at a party, so plan ahead and multiply your ingredients for a big batch, then simply serve over ice.