This Painkiller Cocktail recipe is just what the doctor ordered – a delightful combination of rum, fresh pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and orange juice to kiss your ailments goodbye.
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This cocktail recipe feels like a tropical vacation in every sip, like a Coconut Mojito or Pineapple Margarita. If you're looking for a classic tiki drink that will take your taste buds on a Caribbean adventure with its fresh, fruity flavors, this Painkiller Cocktail recipe is for you!
What Is a Painkiller Cocktail?
The Painkiller Cocktail originates from the British Virgin Islands in the early 1970s. This tropical drink is similar to a piña colada as it includes tropical flavors like pineapple and coconut, but it's made with dark rum instead of white rum. And, if you want a true Painkiller drink, make it with Pusser's Dark Rum. Pusser's Rum was created to model the original Navy Rum that British Royal Navy soldiers were provided until 1970.
What You Need to Make This Fruity Cocktail
- Dark Rum – Or Pussers's Rum or Navy Rum if you can find it.
- Pineapple Juice – Canned pineapple juice works fine.
- Cream of Coconut – Coco Lopez and Goya are some great options.
- Orange Juice – Use your favorite brand.
- Grated Fresh Nutmeg – You can use ground nutmeg instead if you can't find whole nutmeg.
How to Make a Tropical Painkiller Cocktail
Combine rum, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and orange juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into cocktail glasses. Top each cocktail glass with a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg and serve.
What to Serve With a Painkiller Drink
If you're looking for some tropical bites to serve alongside your Painkillers, try these Huli-Huli Chicken Bites as an appetizer!
Throwing a dinner party? Serve up these cocktails with dishes like Seafood Scampi Pasta and Grilled Chicken Kabobs!
Expert Tips
- Make a round of painkillers for everyone to enjoy by multiplying the recipe by the number of people you're serving.
- Add a pineapple wedge for even more vacay vibes.
- Use a microplane to freshly grate the nutmeg on top of your drink.
Recipe FAQs
Pusser's Rum is known as a navy-style rum, which means it has a higher proof content that will knock your socks off. Also, Pusser's Rum is a blend of rums and contains no artificial ingredients or flavors, unlike other rums. As for the flavor profile, Pusser's Rum is spicy with notes of tobacco, clove, and nutmeg, making it the perfect alcohol for this Painkiller drink recipe.
A Painkiller Cocktail is similar in taste to a Pina Colada but with a spicier feel from the dark rum and nutmeg! It's the perfect drink for those who want a similar taste to a Pina Colada but also like a depth of flavor.
Coconut cream is very thick and unsweetened. It's most commonly used for curry and other more savory food dishes. Cream of coconut, on the other hand, is more like a sweet syrup used in cocktails to give them that tropical coconut flavor. Cream of coconut can usually be found in the cocktail aisle of the grocery store or at the liquor store by the syrups.
Yes! Although the traditional version of the Painkiller uses Pusser's Rum, you can use another type of dark rum, like Jamaican rum.
More Tropical Cocktail Recipes to Try
This ultimate Caribbean cocktail is waiting to transport you to white sand beaches from the first sip. If you try this recipe, please rate the recipe card and leave a comment below to help out the next reader!
Painkiller Cocktail
from Islands.com
Ingredients:
- 4 oz of dark rum (Pussers/Navy Rum if you can find it)
- 4 oz pineapple juice
- 1 oz cream of coconut
- 1 oz orange juice
- Grated fresh nutmeg
Preparation:
Combine rum, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and orange juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into glasses.
Top each glass with a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg and serve.
Tieghan says
I love these flavors!
Zainab @ Blahnik Baker says
Pineapples are worth getting excited over because great sweet ones are hard to come by!!
Emily {Pink Tiger in the Kitchen} says
This sounds like a great summertime drink... of which I'll take a few of. And it basically means that I'm running to the store tonight to buy some cream of coconut and orange juice!!
Mimi says
Sounds like I could drink these way too fast......
notorious m.e.g. says
can the oj be fresh squeezed or is this splash of heaven in a highball better served by using tropicana etc?
Kita says
I don't see why it couldn't be fresh. Id give it a try.
Kate from Scratch says
Looks and sounds heavenly; far more delicious than flowers, too! 😉
dixya| food, pleasure, and health says
love anything with pineapple and rum.
natalie @ wee eats says
Oh my god, so funny how boys can be like that, right? BF picked up some pb filled pretzels the other day and you'd have thought he came home with a ring the way he was acting about it! LOL <3 at least you got a delicious drink afterward!
movita beaucoup says
This reminds me of when 2.0 won a golf tournament and then hollered for me to come to the car to see the amazing prize he'd won for me. That it was in the trunk of the car, and that he'd actually traded another prize just to get this specifically awesome thing for me. That I wouldn't believe it. That I would be SO excited.
It was a Slap Chop.
Nutmeg Nanny says
Oh my gosh, that is too funny haha you know how to work with what you've got 🙂 looks tasty!!