The Perfect Pusser’s Rum Painkiller Recipe

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Looking to remake those delicious Pusser’s Rum Painkillers that you had on vacation?  Look no further!  My husband and I have been drinking and making these beauties for years now, and have our process down pat for the perfect Painkiller recipe.

The Pusser’s Painkiller entered my life about eleven years ago on my first ever trip to St. John in the US Virgin Islands.  They are the signature drink of the Virgin Islands, and you will find a version at virtually every restaurant and bar down there. 

Since then, the Painkiller drink has become a permanent part of my life.  This is what we drink on perfect summer days by the pool, on the coldest winter days when we want to feel tropical, and of course, whenever we return to St. John for vacations.  Actually, we drink Painkillers on every vacation, especially in the rare instance that we see one on a menu, like recently in Savannah.

Note: This post was originally published in November 2020 and was last updated in December 2022.

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The Perfect Pusser’s Rum Painkiller Recipe

Outside of the Caribbean, the Painkiller is not a very common drink to find in bars.  Most people haven’t heard of it unless they’ve been to the Virgin Islands.  In fact, whenever I tell people about the Painkillers we love so much, I often find myself clarifying that it is the Painkiller drink, so they don’t awkwardly assume I’m talking about pills.

How to Make a Pusser’s Rum Painkiller

The best part about this Pusser’s Rum Painkiller recipe is that anyone could make it.  This drink is meant to be super laid back, and simply follows this one simple rule:

The key to crafting the perfect Painkiller cocktail is to remember 4:1:1

This refers to the ratio of a Painkiller’s key ingredients: four parts pineapple juice, one part orange juice, and one part cream of coconut.  You will see that although every bar’s Painkiller is tweaked ever so slightly, the best Painkiller cocktails will largely follow this simple base. 

The below recipe is how we’ve been making the perfect Painkiller drink for years now. It truly has the right balance of everything: not too sweet, just enough rum taste, and every flavor needed to take your taste buds straight to the tropics.

I prefer to always use Pusser’s Navy Rum, as it has a really nice bite that I could picture the saltiest sailors enjoying during months at sea.  However, as an alternative to Pusser’s, Myer’s Rum is milder and still has a nice spice.  Also, Myer’s is often easier to find at your neighborhood liquor store.

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Step 1: Create Your Painkiller Mix

We recommend first creating a Painkiller mix, and then dividing it into various glasses, rather than making each drink individually. This is largely because of the way cream of coconut behaves.

Unfortunately, cream of coconut has the tendency to solidify when poured over ice by itself, which will cause your otherwise smooth drink to be filled with solid chunks.  If you instead make the mix fist, and then pour the whole thing over ice, the cream of coconut does much better at staying in liquid form.

Step 2: Fill a Cup with Ice

The first step is to fill your chosen drinking glass about 3/4 full of ice. Then transfer the ice to another (preferably clear) cup for making your drink. 

Step 3:Add Rum

Although 2 oz. is the standard amount of rum per serving, we prefer not to measure ours. Instead, we simply pour the rum about halfway up the ice.

This typically makes a nice, slightly brown Painkiller. The Pusser’s Rum will be enough to cut through the sweetness, without being too overpowering. If you’d like a less boozy painkiller, simply reduce the amount of rum.

Step 4: Add Your Painkiller Mix

Shake up any premade mix before pouring, as ingredients may have separated. Then pour the mix into the glass over the rum, all the way to the top of the ice. 

There is no need to use a shaker to combine the rum and mix.  Instead, simply pour the contents back and forth from your mixing glass to your drinking glass.  I know this isn’t very fancy, but then again, Painkillers really aren’t meant to be fancy!

Step 5: Sprinkle Painkiller with Nutmeg

Finish off by grating fresh nutmeg on top. You can also use pre-grated nutmeg, although fresh will be more fragrant.

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Origins of the Painkiller Recipe

The Painkiller drink was invented at the Soggy Dollar bar on Jost Van Dyke in the BVI’s. Due to its fame, large crowds flock to Soggy Dollar on White Bay every year, most of whom are swimming in from boat charters. It’s the coolest way to do it!

If you are visiting the Virgin Islands, it is always worth the effort to hop on a charter to the BVI’s. White Bay is such a fun place to spend the afternoon, as the beach is totally lined with little shacks containing bars and restaurants. Plus, the Painkillers at the Soggy Dollar Bar are delicious, although they recently started making them with their own Soggy Dollar Rum.

No disrespect to Soggy Dollar, but this girl likes a little bite in her rum to offset those sweet Painkiller ingredients. Therefore, I continue to order my drink with Pusser’s, even at Soggy Dollar. It is, after all, how they originally concocted their own famous recipe!

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How to Bring this Painkiller Recipe to the Beach

You can totally make this Painkiller recipe portable and pre-make a mix that is easily transportable to the beach. To do this, simply make Painkiller mix in bulk as instructed above, portion out the amount of mix you want to bring, and add your rum in advance.

However, if you’re only bringing part of the mixture, how do you know how much rum to add?

Here’s my non-scientific answer – simply taste it intermittently until it’s to your liking. You can normally tell you’re getting close by the color of the liquid. We like ours to be a nice light brown.

The Perfect Glassware for Your Painkiller Cocktail

To drink these at the beach, the simplest drinking vessel is the tried and true red Solo cup. However, we’ve found that these cups with lids help keep our drinks cooler and prevent sand from blowing into them.

While we sometimes find these cups at our vacation rentals, they do not always supply lids. Therefore, we now own our own tumblers that we pack with us on vacation.

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There you have it – your complete guide to making the perfect Pusser’s Rum Painkiller whether you are at home or in the Caribbean.  Now you can let your mind wander back to the tropics as you sip your favorite island cocktail after a rough workweek or in times when you’d rather be traveling, but are stuck at home. 

Writing this post has given me a serious St. John craving, so I might need to make a Painkiller for myself now. After all, one sip always takes me straight back to the Virgin Islands.