Name: Painkiller
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 45 ml Navy rum (ideally 54.5% alc./vol.); 90 ml Pineapple juice; 22.5 ml Orange juice; 15 ml Cream of coconut; 4 drop Daiquiri bitters

Painkiller
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Serve in a Tiki mug or collins

Ingredients:
1 ¹⁄₂ oz	Navy rum (ideally 54.5% alc./vol.)
3 oz	Pineapple juice
³⁄₄ oz	Orange juice (freshly squeezed)
¹⁄₂ oz	Cream of coconut (e.g. Coco Lopez, Re'al etc.)
4 drop	Difford's Daiquiri Bitters optional

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select and pre-chill a Tiki mug or collins glass.
Prepare garnish of dust with freshly grated nutmeg. Garnish with pineapple wedge.
SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
STRAIN into ice-filled glass.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

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Cocktail of the day:

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Review:

The broadside firepower of navy rum balances sweet pineapple and coconut in what is an all too delicious Tiki-style libation.

View readers' comments

History:

From the Soggy Dollar bar on the island of Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. The bar's name is logical, as most of the clientele are sailors and there is no dock. Hence they have to swim ashore, often paying for drinks with wet dollars.

A variation on the classic Pina Colada. See our main Piña Colada page for the story behind the classic and for links to numerous other variations.

Nutrition:

One serving of Painkiller contains 224 calories

Alcohol content:

1.3 standard drinks
10.46% alc./vol. (10.46° proof)
18.1 grams of pure alcohol

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Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 10 of 11 comments for Painkiller.
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Albert Markiewicz

13th June at 08:18

I just calculated that if you mix equal parts of 40% ABV rum with 69% ABV rum, you get exactly to 54,5% ABV. Not sure if this repliates the flavour well, but if you want to try the cocktail and you don't have the navy rum in your bar, you can try this instead

Henry Tran

28th September 2024 at 11:44

Tried with this recipe and it was really good

i. The Original Painkiller
1) 60ml orange juice
2) 30ml cream of coconut
3) 30ml pineapple juice
4) 30ml Smith & Cross
5) 30ml El Dorado

Matt

13th August 2024 at 23:51

A delicious tiki-style drink - pineapple forward, but also get some great flavor notes from the rum and coconut. OJ flavors are lost (to me, at least), but it is critical to diluting the pineapple a bit, and stretching the volume. I like a simple 4/2/1/1 (pineapple/rum/OJ/coconut cream) ratio, but this one is also very good.

Robert Spain

23rd July 2024 at 18:24

Excelent and very different to a piña colada. The proportions, the orange juice, and, specially, Smith and Cross, make a great difference.

Miguel Perales

28th May 2023 at 10:21

I really liked this cocktail. I also really liked John's idea of an overproof floater, maybe he can call it the "Extra-strength Painkiller" :) Very simple to make and very refreshing.

Simon Difford

28th May 2023 at 13:29

I love both the idea and the name.

Nathalie O'Flynn

7th April 2023 at 11:41

Made this a couple of times before but this time took the tip below about adding an overproof rum float so added Goslings 151. It was not only fantastic but looked really good with the colour separation. We'll probably need a corpse reviver tomorrow with all the Easter partying we're doing.

Melissa Nelson

1st September 2022 at 22:41

I have a theory about the Painkiller.

Given the limitations of the Soggy Dollar's island location in the 1970s, I am certain this drink was developed with standard bar ingredients of the time, including canned pineapple and orange juice.

Fresh juice is too sweet and lacks thrust. You need the acidic bite of the canned juice in order to cut through the sweet coconut. The acid is the tip of the marlin spike, to use a naval metaphor.

Try it both ways, I think you'll agree.

Melissa Nelson

28th July 2023 at 20:07

Reading your followup comments, Chris and Brian (sorry I can't seem to reply directly) - I'm using Pusser's Navy rum, so maybe that's why the tangier storebought juice tastes right to me. Tried once with a Demerara and storebought and it was good, but something was missing. I like the punch of the Navy rum for this one. Thanks for your tips.

Chris Dimal

17th February 2023 at 14:00

@Brian Flanagan tried it again with freshly processed pineapple juice from the store (so not raw) and you maybe right regarding the rum. It may be more akin to using a Demerara rum instead of a true Navy Style rum. It worked for my wet palate, nevertheless.

Fernando Yu

5th February 2022 at 14:48

Love this drink! Bring on the pain!

John Hinojos

15th October 2021 at 01:27

Very good rum/tiki drink. Although I am a rum drinker did find it a tad sweet. A 1/4 oz 151 float did the trick. I would definitely have this again.

Brian Flanagan

2nd September 2022 at 19:01

The 151 floater was a fantastic idea. I've always been underwhelmed by Painkillers. Adding that little splash of Lemon Hart 151 made an incredible difference - really elevates the drink.

Brian Titus

16th September 2021 at 14:41

Shouldn’t there be some nutmeg grated on top at the end?

Simon Difford

17th September 2021 at 09:58

Yes. Nutmeg is mentioned in the garnish above.

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