To taste the original Painkiller cocktail, you had to be willing to get wet. As in, disembark off a boat into the ocean’s shallows and wade your way to the sandy solace of the shoreline through the radiant waters of White Bay in the British Virgin Islands. Still, though, a good test of cocktail commitment.
You may wonder about the condition of these voyagers’ belongings after arriving on Jost Van Dyke Island, (or now you are), but considering they were heading to a place called Soggy Dollar Bar, wet money wasn’t just accepted, it was welcome. What would you receive in return? A Painkiller. Not for the post-swim exertion – again, it’s the cocktail.
Created in the 1970s by Daphne Henderson, this shaken drink is a tropical combination of orange and pineapple juice, navy-strength dark rum (traditionally Pusser’s Rum), coconut cream and sugar syrup. Considered similar to the Piña Colada, it’s just a little spicier, fruitier, sweeter and comes in a tiki mug.
Pusser’s Rum is made on the neighbouring island of Tortola, and its founder Charles Tobias and Daphne were friends. However, they weren’t close enough for Daphne to share her cocktail recipe or to stop Charles from recreating his own version, and then trademarking the name and recipe as his own.
No remedy (or paracetamol) to the situation, the Painkiller cocktail then became the signature drink of the British Virgin Islands, where you can still paddle through the water to buy one. Or you can just make one yourself. Much easier.
