Painkiller
A Painkiller is 60ml of Pusser’s Rum, 120ml of pineapple juice, 30ml of fresh orange juice and 30ml of cream of coconut, given a hard 10 to 12 second shake and strained onto cubed ice in a tiki mug or a big glass, with fresh nutmeg grated on top. About 2.4 UK units. Cream of coconut is coconut and sugar, usually with no dairy, but check the label. The name belongs to Pusser’s. The company holds Painkiller as a trade mark in the United States, and the recipe here is its own: four parts pineapple, one of cream of coconut and one of orange, with Pusser’s to suit. In 2011 it sued a New York bar called Painkiller, which settled by renaming itself PKNY and agreeing to serve the drink only with Pusser’s. Pusser’s traces the drink to Daphne Henderson’s Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke, in the British Virgin Islands.
Glassware: Tiki Mug
Garnish: Pineapple wedge and Freshly grated nutmeg
Ingredients
60ml
The rum the name belongs to, and the one Pusser’s specifies: a dark, full-bodied blend in the British naval style. Pusser’s says to add rum to suit; 60ml is its standard measure.
120ml
Pressed or not-from-concentrate juice, chilled. At 120ml it makes up half the glass, so a thin, sugary carton shows at once.
30ml
Squeezed the same day. Its acid keeps the coconut from making the drink heavy.
30ml
Sweetened cream of coconut, such as Coco López. It separates in the tin, so stir or shake it before measuring. There is usually no dairy in it, but check the label.
Instructions
Squeeze the orange juice the same day.
Fill a tiki mug or large glass of 450ml or more with cubed ice.
Add the rum, pineapple juice, orange juice and cream of coconut to a shaker with cubed ice.
Shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds.
Strain over the fresh ice.
Grate fresh nutmeg over the top and garnish with a pineapple wedge.
Source: the producer's own specification (Pusser’s: four parts pineapple, one part cream of coconut, one part orange juice, Pusser’s Rum to suit (60ml); garnish and method ours). Last checked 9 October 2026.
Expert Tip
Shake hard for the full 10 to 12 seconds. Cream of coconut is thick, and a short shake leaves it in streaks, so one sip tastes sweet and the next thin. Buy cream of coconut, not coconut cream. Cream of coconut is sweetened and made for drinks; coconut cream is unsweetened and made for cooking, and it leaves the glass savoury and short of sugar. Grate a whole nutmeg over the finished drink. Pre-ground nutmeg keeps little scent, and the smell at the rim is much of what a Painkiller offers.
Behind the Painkiller
Flavour Profile
The Origin
Pusser’s tells the story this way. The Soggy Dollar Bar sits on White Bay on Jost Van Dyke, in the British Virgin Islands, and its owner, Daphne Henderson, served a Painkiller whose recipe she kept to herself. The bar’s name is usually explained by customers swimming ashore with wet banknotes.
Charles Tobias, who founded Pusser’s after gaining permission in 1979 to sell the Royal Navy’s rum, carried one of her drinks back to his boat and worked out his own version. He settled on four parts pineapple, one of cream of coconut and one of orange, with rum to suit.
The Trade Mark
Pusser’s holds Painkiller as a United States trade mark for rum drinks made with fruit juice and cream of coconut, and prints the name with the registered symbol.
In 2011 it sued the owners of a Manhattan bar called Painkiller. They settled by renaming the bar PKNY and agreeing not to serve a Painkiller without Pusser’s Rum. Bartenders protested, and some posted photographs of the drink made with other rums.
We give the drink as Pusser’s publishes it, with its rum, because the name and the recipe are both theirs.
Cream of Coconut
Cream of coconut is sweetened coconut, thick and syrupy, made for drinks. Coconut cream is the unsweetened, fatty layer from coconut milk, made for cooking. They look alike in the tin and behave very differently in a glass.
Coco López, from Puerto Rico, is the brand most bars reach for. It separates as it stands, so stir or shake the tin before measuring.
Pusser’s Proportions Against Ours
The Painkiller as Pusser’s publishes it and as we serve it
Pusser’s Rum
- Pusser’s
- 60ml, or to suit
- Ours
- 60ml
Pineapple juice
- Pusser’s
- 120ml
- Ours
- 120ml
Orange juice
- Pusser’s
- 30ml
- Ours
- 30ml, squeezed the same day
Cream of coconut
- Pusser’s
- 30ml
- Ours
- 30ml
Method
- Pusser’s
- Shaken, poured into a big glass of ice
- Ours
- Shaken 10 to 12 seconds, strained over fresh ice
Garnish
- Pusser’s
- Orange slice, cherry, fresh nutmeg
- Ours
- Pineapple wedge, fresh nutmeg
| Element | Pusser’s | Ours |
|---|---|---|
| Pusser’s Rum | 60ml, or to suit | 60ml |
| Pineapple juice | 120ml | 120ml |
| Orange juice | 30ml | 30ml, squeezed the same day |
| Cream of coconut | 30ml | 30ml |
| Method | Shaken, poured into a big glass of ice | Shaken 10 to 12 seconds, strained over fresh ice |
| Garnish | Orange slice, cherry, fresh nutmeg | Pineapple wedge, fresh nutmeg |
The measures are Pusser’s own. We strain over fresh ice and trade the orange slice and cherry for a pineapple wedge.
The Nutmeg
Nutmeg’s aroma sits in oils that fade soon after grinding. Grated fresh over the finished drink, it puts that scent at the rim, where it reaches you before the coconut and rum.
Pre-ground nutmeg adds a dusty brown speck and little else. A small fine grater and one whole nut last for dozens of drinks.
How to Serve It
Shaken hard and strained over fresh ice in a tiki mug or large glass, with nutmeg grated on top and a pineapple wedge on the rim. Hand it over straight away, before the ice thins the coconut.
The blended relation is the Piña Colada, with no orange and no nutmeg.
Make it at home
The Spirit
Dark RumDark rum is a heavy, deep-coloured rum, typically 40% ABV, whose colour may come from years in oak, from blending or from added caramel, which the law allows. It brings weight and a burnt-sugar note to punches, hot drinks and tiki builds: the Rum Runner, the Hurricane and the Planter’s Punch.
Master the Techniques
More to explore
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Painkiller?
Do you have to use Pusser’s Rum in a Painkiller?
Who invented the Painkiller?
How does it differ from a Piña Colada?
Is cream of coconut the same as coconut cream?
How strong is a Painkiller?
Is there dairy in a Painkiller?
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