The Painkiller recipe
for your table
Shake the rum, pineapple juice, orange juice and cream of coconut firmly with ice.
Pour into a tiki glass or highball glass filled with crushed ice.
Grate plenty of fresh nutmeg over the top. This is the signature touch.
Garnish with a pineapple wedge.
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The story
Daphne Henderson ran the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke in the 1970s, a bay without a pier: visitors swam to the bar and paid with soaked dollars, hence the name. Her house cocktail became legendary among sailors. Charles Tobias of rum brand Pusser's tasted it, couldn't get the exact recipe, made his own version and, to the dismay of many a bartender, even registered the name 'Painkiller' as a trademark linked to Pusser's Rum. The cocktail itself didn't care and conquered the global tiki scene.
The right glass
On Jost Van Dyke, you get it in a simple cup, but the Painkiller deserves better: a tiki mug or pineapple glass from 44 to 50 cl with plenty of crushed ice. The relief on a good tiki mug also makes it comfortable to hold the glass with wet swimming hands, entirely in keeping with the style. Pair it with a nutmeg grater on the table for a theatrical finale. If a tiki mug does not fit in your cupboard, choose a tall model from our hurricane glasses.
Tiki Pineapple Glass 50 cl
Tiki Mug Fu Manchu 43.5 cl
Together € 40,90.
The right tools
For a Painkiller, besides the glass, you use a Boston shaker, a jigger for precise measuring, a cocktail strainer, a fine strainer for double straining, and a citrus juicer. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 83,70.
What do you make a Painkiller with?
For a Painkiller, you need the right base. Well-known bottles include The Kraken. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
The numbers on the Soggy Dollar menu (2, 3 or 4) refer to the amount of rum. Choose your own pain threshold. Blended with ice, it becomes a tropical smoothie. The official version calls for Pusser's Rum, but any full-bodied dark rum works perfectly well. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
The nutmeg must be freshly grated: from a jar it is dust, from a nut it is perfume. Classic ratio to remember: 4-1-1 (pineapple, orange, coconut) on a generous rum base.
Good to know
Painkiller 2, 3 or 4: how much rum
The numbers on the menu at the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke indicate the number of ounces of rum, or approximately 3, 6 and 9 cl. Painkiller 2 with 6 cl is the standard and the version in our recipe; number 4 with 9 cl is an afternoon-filling affair. The amount of juice remains the same in all three: 10 cl pineapple juice, 3 cl orange juice and 3 cl cream of coconut. Start with number 2 and only then decide whether you want more, because the fruit almost completely masks the rum.
Painkiller or Piña Colada
Both are creamy and tropical, but they work differently. The Piña Colada goes through the blender with white rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice, emerging from the glass like a thick smoothie. The Painkiller is shaken rather than blended, uses dark rum and adds 3 cl orange juice, making it thinner, fresher and considerably less sweet. Its true hallmark is the freshly grated nutmeg on top, which the Colada does not have. Those who find the Colada too heavy often prefer the Painkiller.
Which rum to use if you don't have Pusser's
Pusser's Navy Rum is specified in the official recipe and has 54.5 percent alcohol with a rich, molasses-heavy flavor. If you don't have it, choose a full-bodied dark rum from Jamaica or Guyana with at least 40 percent alcohol and distinct notes of cane sugar and caramelized sugar. White rum disappears completely behind the fruit and is a waste of effort here. A golden rum works as a middle ground, although you will miss some of the depth. To get close to the original, mix 4 cl dark rum with 2 cl overproof rum.
Non-alcoholic painkiller
The fruit does so much of the work in this cocktail that the 0.0 version remains surprisingly close to the original. Replace the 6 cl dark rum with 4 cl non-alcoholic dark rum, or with 3 cl strong chilled black tea and half a teaspoon of dark cane sugar syrup for that molasses note. Keep 10 cl pineapple juice, 3 cl orange juice and 3 cl coconut cream, and shake just as vigorously. Do not leave out the freshly grated nutmeg on top: that aroma is the clearest characteristic of a Painkiller, with or without alcohol.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a recipe for a painkiller cocktail?
Yes. Shake 6 cl dark rum with 10 cl pineapple juice, 3 cl orange juice and 3 cl coconut cream, pour it over crushed ice and grate a generous amount of fresh nutmeg over it. Garnish with a pineapple wedge; that nutmeg is the signature of this tiki classic.
What is a painkiller?
The Painkiller is a tropical rum cocktail from the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke: dark rum, pineapple juice, orange juice and coconut cream, finished with fresh nutmeg. Serve it with plenty of crushed ice in a tiki mug or pineapple glass holding 44 to 50 cl; see our tiki glasses.
What is the difference between a Painkiller and a Piña Colada?
Both use rum and coconut, but the Painkiller uses dark rum, pineapple juice and orange juice and is shaken and served over crushed ice. The Piña Colada uses white or golden rum, pineapple juice only, and is blended into a thick, creamy mix.
Which rum do you use for a Painkiller?
Traditionally Pusser's, the rum that even had the name Painkiller registered as a trademark. However, any full-bodied dark rum works perfectly well. The Soggy Dollar menu lists numbers 2, 3 and 4: they refer to the number of measures of rum in your glass.
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