Painkiller Cocktail Recipe

This post is going to show you exactly how to make a Painkiller Cocktail!

The Painkiller is a tropical cocktail that has been popular since the 70’s! Crafted in the British Virgin Islands at the famous Soggy Dollar Bar, the Painkiller was born. This tasty drink quickly became well known and can now be ordered at almost any bar around the globe.

Consisting of a dark rum, coconut, orange juice, pineapple juice, and a bit of nutmeg, this cocktail is just as easy to drink as taking a nap on the sand. Today I will be using a pink pineapple in honor of Valentines Day around the corner, but this drink can be enjoyed with any pineapple all year round! Let’s get right into this Painkiller cocktail recipe!

“Painkiller” 

What You Will Need

Alcohol:

You will need a delicious rum base for this Painkiller cocktail recipe! I have chosen to use a Barbados rum called Mount Gay Black Barrel. This rum is robust with notes of vanilla, orange, black pepper, and toffee! All of these notes are going to blend so well with the fresh juices we will be using! Feel free to get creative with this recipe and use two different rums if you want to deepen the complexity of flavor! I got this bottle of rum at Total Wine and More.

Citrus and Other Fresh Ingredients:

Of course for this Painkiller cocktail recipe we will be needing Fresh Pineapple Juice! You may notice that my juice doesn’t look like any pineapple juice you’ve ever seen. That’s because I used a Del Monte Pinkglow Pineapple! These pineapple are grown in Costa Rica and bioengineered to create their beautiful pink hue. I picked this up in a local grocery store in January so they are great to grab just before Valentines Day!

I want to note that you can totally use a normal pineapple. This recipe will still be equally delicious! 

To turn a pineapple into juice, you will need a blender of sorts. I like to use my Ninja Blender. It’s one of my favorite tools in the kitchen! After you have blended up your pineapple you will want to squeeze it into a bowl using a Nut Milk Bag. After that you should be able to transfer your juice into a Glass Bottle. Remember to label and date your juices! This juice will be good for about 3-4 days after making.

What gives this Painkiller cocktail its unique twist is the use of Fresh Orange Juice! Fresh juices are a must, and it’s a lot easier to accomplish when you have the right tools! In the photo above I am using my Stainless Steel Hand Pressed Citrus Juicer. This thing is truly one of the best items I own! It has an ease to the squeeze, its own pour spout, and it’s really easy to make individual cocktails with on the fly! This is honestly a great addition to any kitchen/home bar.

A main component in this Painkiller cocktail recipe will be the Coconut! This will bring all the tropical vibes full circle and provide a lot of sweetness! You can totally make your own coconut mix, use another brand, or use the one I have shown above! This Real Gourmet Cream of Coconut is easily accessible and can be found in most stores. Whatever route you chose to go, just know that coconut is mandatory!

Bar Supplies:

The main component you will need for this painkiller cocktail is a shaker. I usually use a Boston shaker when building my cocktails, but recently for guests and for filming I have been using a Glass Cobbler Shaker! I love the look of this shaker and the ease of the pour. This particular cocktail has a built in strainer! When you shake a cocktail you are diluting it and building it in volume at the same time! This is a crucial step for most drink builds. If you want to check out the glass shaker that I used you can do so right HERE!

The next bar tool that you will need is a Jigger. Jiggers are what you use to measure the ingredients you are adding into your cocktail! This is a necessary tool to have for your home bar. A great cocktail is balanced, beautiful, and consistent! You can achieve all of that by actively using a jigger when you are building your drinks.

My jigger shown above ranges from 1/4th oz to 2 oz.If you want to check out one identical to mine you can do so RIGHT HERE!

I must say that when I was just a beginner in the bartending world, I used a jigger that was much more simplified. It was great and truly let me build my skills with confidence. This jigger has only one side, very clear measurement lines, and a pour spout! If you’re just beginning and want to use this jigger to learn I will link the exact one I used to use RIGHT HERE!

This cocktail is strained over crushed ice! If you don’t have a crushed ice machine at home, you will want to use a Lewis Bag and Mallet.You put full ice cubes into the bag, crush with the mallet, and scoop out crushed ice using a stainless steel ice scoop.

The bag is made of canvas which keeps the ice cool and crisp. I was lucky enough to get a set here in San Diego at a local bartending shop, but you can actually get your own FULL set that comes with all the supplies RIGHT HERE on Amazon. It comes with a scoop and everything! The bag is reusable and holds the crushed ice in a presentable way for your at home bar.

If you would prefer to use an ice mold for your crushed ice I will link one on Amazon for you RIGHT HERE!

Garnish:

Specifically for this Valentines Day themed Painkiller, I like to use Luxardo Cherries! These cherries are Sour Marasca cherries that have been candied and steeped in syrup. They are rich, decadent, and lathered in that thick syrup that sometimes drips down into a cocktail giving it that extra oomph of flavor!

I garnished my cherries with a cute pineapple cocktail pick! You can find ones identical to my own HERE! Garnishing a cocktail is a great way to express your own creativity. Be sure to have fun with it and always dress your cocktail to impress!

Lastly, you will want to have a Dash of Nutmeg on top of this cocktail to complete it! Nutmeg will marry so well with the coconut and fresh orange juice. The scent coming off the top of the cocktail will get your tastebuds going crazy! You can use a Zester to grate fresh nutmeg, or you can buy it already in powder form from the store! I do recommend zesting fresh nutmeg for the full effect.

I also suggest that if you are starting to create multiple cocktails at home, you should invest in your own personal Bartending Kit. Most come with everything you will need as a beginner while others provide several items for more complex creations. I will put links to both a beginners set, and a more advanced set on Amazon below!

Beginners Kit : HERE

Advanced Kit : HERE

Let’s Build!