Aloha,

In the United States today is tax day.  To wear off some of that sting from the tax man Smuggler’s Cove, one of the most popular Tiki bars in the U.S., is celebrating National Painkiller Day.   Sadly, Smuggler’s Cove is across the country from me, but that isn’t stopping me from having a good old Painkiller.  

This Tiki cocktail was invented in the 1970s  at the at The Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands. The Soggy Dollar has no dock so it’s visitors have to swim to shore from their boats getting their money all wet, and that is how the bar got it’s name.  The original Painkiller recipe is top secret, and is still being served to this day at The Soggy Dollar.  However, through some reverse engineering by some people with much better taste buds than mine you no longer have to go to The Soggy Dollar to enjoy this Tiki cocktail.

To make a Painkiller combine the following in a cocktail shaker with about a one cup of ice:

• 1 oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
• 4 oz Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz Lopez Coconut Cream
• 2.5 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (Preferably Pussar’s Navy Rum)

Shake the ingredients together until the shaker is frosty on the outside. Then, pour it into a large glass or Tiki mug.  You may want to use a Tiki mug for this one because this great tasting drink isn’t very pretty to look at.  Then, sprinkle some Nutmeg and Cinnamon on top.  Garnish with an orange wheel, pineapple slice, and cinnamon stick.

The Painkiller really surprised me with how amazing it was.  The Lopez Coconut cream gives a delicious coconut flavor to the drink, and the pineapple juice blends in nicely. I’ve tried other brands of Cream of Coconut, but Lopez is the best.  The only place I can find Lopez, near me, is at Wal-Mart.  

You get just a hint of orange from the fresh orange juice, and the dark Jamaican rum adds a nice touch, but doesn’t over power.  Even a non-rum drinker will love this cocktail.  The Cinnamon and nutmeg go really well with the creamy coconut.  There is just the right amount of sweetness so that you could keep drinking these all day.  I can just imagine being in The Virgin Islands sipping on this while laying in a hammock, and listening to the gentle waves roll in.  Uncle Sam is a million miles away… 

I went to the Soggy Dollar’s website to do research for this post, and they have the relaxing sound of waves crashing to the shore playing on their site.  I usually hate it when websites have background sounds, but the waves are very peaceful.  So pull up their website while sipping on your Painkiller and your cares will drift away even faster.

Mahalo!

Damon