Gamechanger Cocktail (aka The Painkiller)

This has got to be THE most popular and beloved cocktail in all of Chucktown. I’ve sipped on my fair share, to be sure (they’re delicious). Today, I’m doing another installment in the “My Fare City” series here on MKL, and honoring Home Team BBQ and their most tasty adult beverage with my own homespun version. The Gamechanger Cocktail (also much more widely known as a “Painkiller”) is a frosted rum-based drink that combines pineapple juice, orange juice, cream of coconut, lots of crushed ice, and a good dusting of freshly grated nutmeg.

What is a Gamechanger?

So, while you’ll see it spelled both “Game Changer” or “Gamechanger,” on the actual Home Team menu, it is spelled all as one word. But I suppose that is neither here nor there as I’m guessing no one who is on this site really cares much about the spelling of the thing.

Aaaanyway, a Gamechanger is a frozen rum-based cocktail that is served at a local barbecue spot here (where I live) in Charleston, SC. Home Team is easily the place I’ve eaten more in this Holy City of mine than any other, and I’ve lost count of how many of these drinks I’ve enjoyed (for better or for worse). My family developed a tradition of hitting up Home Team on Friday nights, and we just can’t not start our meals there with a Gamechanger (Lucas and me, not the kids). T’would be sacrilege, me thinks.

A Gamechanger by any other name …

Is nothing more and nothing less than a Painkiller. Have you ever tried one of these drinks? Really, it’s the perfect tropical beverage, and involves the exact same combination of ingredients as a Game Changer: pineapple juice, orange juice, cream of coconut, and nutmeg.

So, why is it called a Gamechanger?

I’m honestly not exactly sure but I do know that the restaurant had to change the name of the drink due to some ownership/property rights. So anyway, the Gamechanger by any other name is a Painkiller. But no matter what name you slap on it, it’s is delicious all the same.

What you’ll need to make this drink

This is one of those, “how bad can it be?” types of recipes. I mean, we’re talking tropical-leaning juices, creamy sweet coconut, and nutmeg for crying out loud! Oh, and spiced rum which is also a tasty libation for sure. You can honestly wield these ingredients however you see fit, and just use my amounts as a sort of baseline. As always, you do you.

INGREDIENTS

6 ounces Spiced Rum 

1.5 cups orange juice (pulp-free)

1 cup pineapple juice

3 tablespoons cream of coconut (plus more to taste)

Freshly grated nutmeg, to garnish

2 cups ice cubes

Want to keep things even simpler?

Yes, always. Okay, so the recipe calls for both pineapple and orange juices. But! Just know that you can absolutely use a pineapple-orange juice (like Simply Orange) and it will get you to the same destination, flavor-wise.

Also, the classic recipe uses both gold rum and a spiced rum, which makes for a deliciously dynamic and boozy duo, sure. But asking you to purchase not one but two types of liquor to make a cocktail seems silly if it’s not actually necessary. So, my version nixes the gold rum and replaces it with extra spiced rum (it contributes more to the flavor and therefore matters more).

Keeping recipes as mini and simple as possible is what we’re all about here on MKL, and the Gamechanger Cocktail is a great example of something that suffers not at all from a little innocent ingredient whittling around the edges. I do this in a lot of my recipes, both drinks and eats alike. Like in my Chicken Marbella and Chicken Marsala. My take on a Classic Indian Butter Chicken as well, and my quick and easy Bolognese.

How to make a Gamechanger Cocktail, inspired by Home Team BBQ in Charleston, SC

This is a VERY easy drink to make, and my recipe here makes either two smaller rocks glass-servings or one “Large Game Changer” which would fill a pint glass to the tippy top. I’m telling you – the nutmeg absolutely makes the drink. Actually, nutmeg has a way of making most things, I think. Anyway, here’s the how-to.

DIRECTIONS

• Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend oh high until very smooth. Taste and adjust any of the components to suit your preferences (more ice for thicker consistency, more OJ for additional tartness, etc). 
• Pour into two highball glasses and dust with freshly grated nutmeg all over the top.

Want to make a virgin Gamechanger?

Easy! Simply omit the rums and add a nice splash of good vanilla extract to the mix. This will bring some extra depth of flavor that you’ll miss when you take away the spiced rum. This makes a kid-friendly tropical drink that is so fun any time of year.

If you like the looks of this Game Changer Cocktail, you might also enjoy:

Southern Milk Punch

Salted Apple Butter Dark and Stormy

Minty Cherry Limeade

Print