Painkiller Cocktail

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The Painkiller cocktail is a delicious and refreshing cocktail packed with tropical flavors. With dark rum, pineapple, orange and coconut, this drink is practically a beach vacation in a glass! Freshly grated nutmeg and fresh fruit garnishes make this cocktail a perfect summer sipper.

Side view of a yellow colored Painkiller cocktail in a Hurricane glass on a gray countertop with pineapple fronds and an orange slice garnish. In the background are cut oranges, pineapple and a bottle of rum, along with a vase of orchids.

This is such a delicious rum drink for summer, and it's always a crowd pleaser. Once you have all of the ingredients together, it's easy to make, too!

If you like the Painkiller, try out some of my other tropical cocktail recipes! The Mermaid Water Rum Punch recipe is beautiful and tastes amazing. Also check out the tasty Rum & Ramazzotti cocktail with Rammazzotti amaro, or the absolutely delicious Mango Mai Tai!

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History of the Painkiller Cocktail
Ingredients
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Instructions
Frequently Asked Questions
Top tip
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

History of the Painkiller Cocktail

This tropical drink has a pretty interesting backstory. It was developed in 1970 at a bar called the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands. The bar's owner, Daphne Henderson, was locally famous for her secret Painkiller recipe (although some sources say the drink was developed by the previous owners of the bar, George and Mari Myrick).

The owner of Pusser's Rum, Charles Tobias, reverse engineered the recipe and came up with his own version. He went on to trademark the cocktail name Painkiller in multiple countries, so that on a cocktail menu, it must be made with Pusser's Rum in order to be called a Painkiller.

The trademark battle ruffled a bunch of feathers in 2011 when Pusser's forced Painkiller bar in New York City to change its name. Many bartenders now refuse to serve Pusser's in reaction to the lawsuit (read more about the lawsuit here).

Despite all the drama, this drink couldn't be more relaxing and delicious to enjoy!

Overhead view of a yellow colored Painkiller cocktail in a Hurricane glass on a gray countertop with pineapple fronds and an orange slice garnish. Next to the drink is a cut orange and a bottle of rum.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this cocktail:

Dark Rum - the original recipe is said to have been created using Cruzan Rum. Since Pusser's Rum has trademarked this drink, though, it has to be made with that rum if it's being sold under the name Painkiller. At home, you can use your favorite dark rum. Navy strength rum (57% alcohol rather than the more common 40 to 42%) works well in this drink if you're feeling adventurous!
Cream of Coconut - NOT coconut cream. This is a sweetened coconut syrup. I've used Coco Real Cream of Coconut, but Coco Lopez is another well-known brand too. Be sure to shake it well, because the coconut solids tend to separate out from the syrup in the bottle.
Pineapple juice - unless you are making fresh pineapple juice, Dole brand pineapple juice works great.
Orange juice - either freshly squeezed or a good quality packaged OJ.
Nutmeg - preferably whole nutmeg that you can grate on top for the best flavor. This really adds a nice aroma to the drink.
Other garnishes - I used an orange slice and pineapple fronds to garnish this drink. This is a Tiki drink, so go ahead and get creative. A pineapple wedge, some dried or fresh coconut, or even a tiny umbrella all work!

Ingredients for a Painkiller rum cocktail on a countertop.

Substitutions

Here are some substitutions you can make in case you don't have a specific ingredient.

Cream of Coconut - if you don't have cream of coconut, it's possible to make your own using coconut cream and sugar. Or, use coconut water and then substitute either pineapple syrup for the pineapple juice or orange syrup for the orange juice.
Pineapple juice - although pineapple juice is a big part of the flavor component here, you can substitute it out using more orange juice, or mango puree.
Orange juice - likewise, if you don't have orange juice, you can substitute it with more pineapple juice or mango puree.
Dark rum - you can use whiskey or an aged tequila if you don't have any dark rum.

Variations

Looking to change up this recipe? Here are some variations:

Passionfruit Painkiller - add an ounce of passionfruit puree to the mix instead of the orange juice.
Morning Painkiller - after you strain the cocktail, add in ¾ ounce of Campari liqueur. It will sink to the bottom of the glass, creating a red and yellow gradient like a sunrise.
Virgin Painkiller (non-alcoholic) - instead of rum, use a non-alcoholic rum like Ritual rum alternative. Or, use orange-flavored seltzer or soda instead.

Overhead view of a Painkiller cocktail with a pineapple frond garnish and orange slice on a cocktail pick. The drink is in a Hurricane glass, which is tall with a short stem.

Equipment

You'll want to have a jigger or measuring cup, a cocktail shaker, and a cocktail strainer to make this drink. If you're using whole nutmeg (definitely recommended for the best flavor) you'll also need a spice grater to grate it over top of the drink.

Depending on what garnish you want to use, you may also need a knife and cutting board to prep your garnish. Also, a cocktail pick often comes in handy when styling the garnish.

For the serving glass, I used a large Hurricane glass (tall and curvy glass, with a short stem at the bottom). You could also use a large highball glass with straight sides, or even a tumbler. As long as it holds enough liquid, it works! The drink itself is between 8 and 9 ounces, plus you'll need room for ice in the glass.

Note: If you need any new bar equipment, I really love the products from A Bar Above! You can get 10% off using my discount code, LKDrinks. Their bar tools are really durable, beautiful and dishwasher safe!

Instructions

Start out by adding orange juice and cream of coconut to your cocktail shaker.

Hand pouring orange juice from a jigger into a cocktail shaker.

Hand pouring cream of coconut from a jigger into a cocktail shaker that is filled with orange juice.

Then, add in the pineapple juice and the rum.

Hand pouring pineapple juice into a cocktail shaker.

Hand pouring dark rum from a jigger into a cocktail shaker filled with yellow liquid and some white cream of coconut at the bottom of the shaker.

Fill the shaker with ice. Then, seal up the shaker and shake everything until it is well chilled.

Hand using ice scoop to add ice to a glass cocktail shaker filled with yellow liquid.

Hands shaking a gray and glass cocktail shaker filled with yellow liquid and ice.

Add fresh ice to your serving glass, and then strain the drink into the glass. Then, add the nutmeg on top. If you're using whole nutmeg, then use a spice grater to grate it over the drink.

Hand using a gray cocktail strainer to strain the yellow drink into a hurricane glass filled with ice.

Hands using a microplane spice grater to grate nutmeg onto the top of the cocktail.

Add your fruit garnishes just before serving.

In the photos, I've used a round orange slice that I cut a slit in and twisted, and secured with a cocktail pick.

I also used two pineapple fronds, which are the leaves on top of the pineapple that you can pluck out. Just wash the fronds and stick them into the top of the drink.

Hands adding pineapple fronds to the cocktail as a garnish.

Hands adding a twisted orange slice on a cocktail pick to the top of a yellow cocktail in a hurricane glass.

Hint: The pineapple juice naturally makes this drink a little foamy on top just after you shake it. This is totally normal!

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of drink is a Painkiller?

A Painkiller is a sweet and tropical rum cocktail. It was developed in the British Virgin Islands and has a beach vacation feel.

Is coconut cream the same as cream of coconut?

No, they're not the same thing. Cream of coconut actually has coconut cream as an ingredient, but it is more of a liquidy syrup. Coconut cream, on the other hand, is made from blending up the pulp of a coconut, straining out the liquid, and then skimming the creamy part off the top.

What's the difference between a Piña Colada and a Painkiller?

Although these drinks have similar flavors, one main difference is that the Piña Colada is made with light rum and the Painkiller is made with dark rum. Also, the Painkiller has orange juice, and it has less sugar overall. The Piña Colada often has lime juice added to it, so more sugar is needed to balance out the acidity of the lime.

Top tip

This drink makes a great frozen cocktail! Just add everything, along with ice, to a blender and blend it up. You can garnish it the same way as the non-frozen version. Or, you can serve it over crushed ice instead of cubed. If you do, don't shake it more than 3 to 5 times, or you'll end up making it too watery.

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