The Soggy Dollar Bar, Not Pusser’s, Has Made The Virgin Islands Rum Drink Famous
Nobody who goes to the the Virgin Islands goes to Pusser’s for a Painkiller. We all know the place for that drink is the Soggy Dollar Bar.
So why is Pusser’s making such a big deal about a bar in New York using that name? And in response, bartenders throughout the city are boycotting using Pusser’s Rum.
Pusser’s bought the rights to “Painkiller” in 1981 and has sued the bar owners to force them to change the name, which will now become PKNY (Pain Killer New York).
This move has caused a backlash among the bartending community, even launching a couple of anti-Pusser’s Facebook pages, making it a less popular British company than BP.
Come on, Pusser’s! Why are you taking such a pirate’s stand? Give ’em a break. In fact, take advantage of it; work with them to have special Painkiller nights and events. Oddly, the bar owners don’t even use Pusser’s in its namesake drink. And you can bet they are not about to start doing it now.
Pusser’s is not even the most available – or desired – rum in the Caribbean. In the Virgin Islands, the pour of choice is Cruzan (made in St. Croix). The British Navy gave its sailors a bottle a day back in the day as part of their pay, but modern-day sailors prefer other Caribbean rums.
Pusser’s also has a few bars in the British Virgin Islands, the most popular of which is in Road Town, Tortola. But for anyone seeking a Painkiller, the place is not Pusser’s but the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke. That fact is even a lyric in a song heard throughout the islands: “We kill our pain at the Soggy Dollar,” local musician Eric Stone sings.
The Soggy Dollar is so named because you pretty much have to jump off your anchored sailboat and swim up to it (oh, you can also take a dingy to shore, but that’s best utilized for after spending a couple of hours at the Soggy Dollar). The drink is a combination of rum, pineapple and orange juice and cream of coconut, topped with shavings of nutmeg, served in a signature 10-ounce cup. Every chartered boat in the BVIs has dozens of those cups on board. The rum used at Soggy Dollar is Cruzan dark, by the way.
So if any place should be doing the suing, it’s the Soggy Dollar Bar that should be suing Pusser’s.
Now pardon me while I go make a Painkiller in one of my Soggy Dollar cups.
Makes me want to go to BVI.
The woman who invented the Painkiller was the owner of Soggy Dollar. She is friends with the owner of Pusser’s and the original IS made with Pusser’s. She claims it doesn’t taste right with other rums. I guess it is a matter of preference for some.
And I know Eric Stone and his band – and he would never expect anything other than Pusser’s in a Painkiller There is a LOT of sloppy journalism in this peice. (ps and the British Navy did not give the sailors a “Bottle a day” They were allowed a “ration” for their grog)
A sloppy journalism “peice?” Well, I’ve seen Eric drink the Soggy Dollar Painkiller…
I’ve just come across this whole debacle and wrote on a few other sites… might as well give my perspective here too.
I don’t know. Its not like the Pussers company doesn’t allow any bars to make the drink “Painkiller”, its that the bar in NY was using the “Painkiller” name in its Tiki Bar’s name. CLEARLY riding the coattails of all the investment and expense that the Pusser’s company put in over all the years and introducing it to the North American Market (Over $1 million – http://www.pussers.com/joby.htm).
Look I’m a longtime Sailor and I’ve been to the BVI’s and also sailed and been to Annapolis MD in which they have another Pussers (which is one of the few in North America). I also live & sailed the NY, NJ waters and LI Sound for over 20 years and when I think PAINKILLER I think PUSSER’s. Plain and Simple. They’ve put the time, money and effort to promote PUSSER’s which for any self respecting sailor is synonymous with PAINKILLERS.
Not that any bar can’t make one – But Pusser’s made it famous (with the ok of original inventors of the ~tiny~ Soggy Dollar bar in the BVI’s which is called the “Soggy Dollar” because you have to anchor out and swim to the bar to get a drink :)).
With that said I feel the exact same way with a “Dark n Stormy”. You can make it with a different dark Rum other than a Goslings (like for instance a Myers’ and Ginger beer ~blech~) but when any self respecting Sailor thinks “Dark n Stormy” they think Goslings.
Just a little bit of perspective from a “Sailor” where I guess traditions are still cherished — and I think most “good” bartenders and bars feel the same way. Tradition in making a classic cocktail is paramount. If not then you are just another one of those low class college bars like down Jersey Shore that serve any alchohol (usually the cheapest) and call it a “xxxx” (insert classic cocktail name here).
IMHO – Cap’t Jack Sparrow….lol
PS. I bet VERY VERY few would have heard of the Painkiller if it wasn’t for Pusser’s unless you were a sailor and sailed the BVI’s and happened upon the little Soggy Dollar Bar. It would have just stayed there as a small local drink that happens all the time in thousands of locations around the world. Pusser’s promoted that drink and brought it to the states and multiple places around the world.
Wow. Excellent!
Terrific review!