Tiki Time
Are you ready to indulge in another classic tiki cocktail? The weather has been quite a fright around here, and yes, I feel guilty for complaining! High heat and humidity is sending me into a state of complete hair-despair. When that starts to happen, there’s almost nothing better than a fruity rum tiki. This is a classic, Painkiller Cocktail.
Full of all the tropic tastes and plenty of rum. The reason this is called a Painkiller? Plenty O’ rum! And, not just any rum, (if you can) you want to use Pusser’s Rum.
Pusser’s Rum
When you visit St. Maarten, or I presume any of the islands 🏝 of the British West Indies, everywhere you go, there is rum. If you haven’t been there, I’m not talking about in the usual places like the bars or restaurants, of course that is true. But any shop you walk into, there will undoubtedly be a bottle of rum pulled out from under the counter. Going to buy shoes, the clerk will bring up a bottle and a glass. Going to try on jewelry, be ready to sample some of the shops finest rum. In the market for some trinkets to take home, yup, get your rum on. I made quite a time of tasting all the rums and I loved them.
Pusser’s Rum Ltd. is quite an interesting story. Pusser’s Rum is a brand name of rum produced by Pusser’s Rum Ltd. Nine years after the Royal Navy discontinued the daily rum ration in 1970, the company was founded to produce the rum from the original Royal Navy recipe, using a blend of five West Indian rums.
For the truly yo-ho, yo-ho on this brand of rum, here’s a you-tube link that’s fun to watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak7-2KbrZjo
How to Split a Coconut 🥥
So, just for fun, I thought I would try to open a coconut shell just perfectly enough to serve as my tiki glass. If you’re up for the challenge, here’s how you do it.
First, using a wine opener or a hammer and nail, open a couple of the “eyes” of the coconut. Drain the liquid into a bowl, then strain the pure coconut water to get rid of any of the shell pieces. You can drink the water or freeze it for use in a ton of other recipes. I like to put it into ice cube trays and use it in anything from drinks to savory recipes.
Getting the shell to crack perfectly is a little more challenging. I’ve found that even with this method, the coconut is going to crack where it wants to crack. Here goes:
Using the opposite side of the blade, take a cleaver and begin to hit the shell a few times where you want it to open. Bang away a few times, then continue to rotate the coconut as you hit in a circular motion. Eventually, you will see the coconut begin to crack. Continue to hit it and turn until it’s fully cracked. Break the shell away.
The easiest way to remove the shell is to heat an oven to 200° and bake the split coconuts for about 20 minutes. This will help the coconut meat release from the shell. Then, use a vegetable peeler to remove the brown, thin coating. Shred the coconut using the shredding attachment of your food processor. You can freeze the coconut for up to 6 months.
How To Make A Painkiller Cocktail
The original Painkiller is made in a cocktail shaker. I also like to make it in a blender.
Into a cocktail shaker filled 1/2 with ice, add 4 ounces of Pusser’s Rum with 4 ounces of pineapple juice, 1 ounce of orange juice and 1 ounce of coconut cream. Shake vigorously, at least 30 seconds. Strain into a hurricane glass (or coconut shell) filled with fresh, pebble size ice. Sprinkle the top with a bit of freshly grated nutmeg. Serve with a wedge of pineapple or orange, and of course, a little tiny parasol too.
To make in a blender, just add 1 cup of ice to the blender and all the ingredients. Let it whirl and then pour into your prepared cocktail glass. Sprinkle with nutmeg and add your garnish.
Cheers!
Painkiller Cocktail
Ingredients
- 4 ounce Prusser's Rum
- 4 ounces pineapple juice
- 1 ounce orange juice
- 1 ounce coconut cream
Garnish: Freshly grated nutmeg; Pineapple Wedge or Orange Wedge, Tiny Little Cocktail Parasol
Instructions
- Into a cocktail shaker filled 1/2 with ice
- add 4 ounces of Pusser's Rum with 4 ounces of pineapple juice, 1 ounce of orange juice and 1 ounce of coconut cream.
- Shake vigorously, at least 30 seconds.
- Strain into a hurricane glass (or coconut shell) filled with fresh, pebble size ice.
- Top with fresh grated nutmeg
- Serve with a wedge of pineapple or orange, a parasol, of course.
- To make in a blender, just add 1 cup of ice to the blender and all the ingredients. Let it whirl and then pour into your prepared cocktail glass.
- Cheers!
