Soggy Dollar Bar

The Soggy Dollar Bar is the most famous bar in the British Virgin Islands, which is saying something in a territory built on sailing, sunsets, and rum. It sits on the west end of White Bay on Jost Van Dyke, accessible only by swimming or dinghying ashore from an anchored boat — hence the name. Wet banknotes are the admission fee, and they are accepted without complaint.

The setting is simple: a bar, some beach chairs, shade from palm trees. The Painkillers are strong and correctly made. The crowd is a mix of day-trippers who came specifically for this and sailors for whom this beach has been a ritual stop for decades. Come early in the afternoon if you want a seat; by 2pm the bar is usually busy.

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A story
The Painkiller — four parts pineapple juice, one part orange juice, one part cream of coconut, and one part dark rum, shaken and served over ice with grated nutmeg on top — was invented at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the 1970s and has since become one of the Caribbean's most imitated cocktails. Pusser's Rum now bottles and distributes an official Painkiller mix, but the original is still served here.