The world of Tiki cocktails can be something of a mystery, even for seasoned home bar enthusiasts. Many classic Tiki drinks require multiple different types of rum or special ingredients like orgeat syrup, which can be a hurdle for making them at home.
However, there is a classic Tiki cocktail which is an accessible way into the style, and which is one of this year’s trendiest drinks. It’s the Painkiller, a rum, pineapple, and orange juice cocktail which is easy to make with ingredients you can find in the supermarket, and which captures the lush, tropical flavors of this style of drink.
The Painkiller is the signature drink of Pusser’s Rum, a navy-style rum from the British Virgin Islands. If you can find Pusser’s, go ahead and use it, but any navy-style rum will work in its place. You’re looking for a dark brown rum with spicy flavors but not too much sweetness to balance out the fruity ingredients in the cocktail.
As always, you’ll get the best results if you use ingredients which are as fresh as possible. If you can get freshly squeezed orange juice or even fresh pineapple juice, so much the better. If not, find the best quality juices you can get hold of.
How to make a Painkiller
Ingredients:
- 2 oz rum
- 4 oz pineapple juice
- 1 oz orange juice
- 1 oz cream of coconut
- Nutmeg, freshly grated
- Pineapple wedge for garnish
Method:
Add the rum, fruit juices, and cream of coconut to a shaker tin with plenty of ice and shake well. Strain into a tumbler filled with more ice. Grate fresh nutmeg over the top and garnish with a pineapple wedge.
