Knock-off Painkillers: A drink for sailors and landlubbers

LUCY BURDETTE: Following up on the question last week about how we feel about water...I always think the idea of a vacation on a boat sounds amazing. So a couple of years ago John and I went on a sailing vacation with my sister and her husband. This was a frugal do-it-yourself trip; we brought our own groceries and did the sailing ourselves.
 

Ha, ha, just kidding, that wasn't our boat, it's one of the abandoned liveaboards anchored off Key West that I used in MURDER WITH GANACHE. 

I freely admit that I'm not much of a sailor, acting mostly as ballast. As we set off that first morning, I had great expectations. The scenery couldn't have been more gorgeous. The company was outstanding. 

However, I was not cautious enough about my tendency to seasickness--even on calm seas. I will spare you the gory details, except to tell you that at the end of the first day I was happy to swim ashore and crawl onto a small island away from the water. With my head pounding and my world swirling, I did not even notice until an hour later that SOMETHING SMELLED TERRIBLE. When I finally sat up, I saw that I was lying in close proximity to a dead goat...

Feeling so much better--with John!

Sue and Jeff--the real sailors

After some time on dry land and much Dramamine, I recovered and enjoyed the rest of the trip. The fish were amazing--including barracudas, big sea turtles, a dancing line of squid who were as curious about us as we were about them. 

One of our favorite ways of celebrating the end of a day on the water was to go ashore and enjoy an island cocktail called a Painkiller. You do not need to wait for a sailing vacation to try this--it would work very well over the holiday weekend.

 
Knockoff Painkiller cocktail

4 ounces pineapple coconut juice (Knudsen for me)
2 ounces orange juice
1 to 2 ounces Pusser's or other dark rum
Sprinkling of fresh nutmeg 




Combine the liquids in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Stir well, then pour into glass filled with ice and garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg. This is definitely tasty enough to serve without the rum too, if you prefer. (KILLER TAKEOUT is not in the glamour shot above, but the painkiller played an important role in that mystery.)

What will you be drinking over this long weekend? Care to share the recipe?