Last month, Pusser’s Ltd., the rum maker and restaurateur, settled a lawsuit with a New York City bar over its trademarked cocktail, the painkiller. But the company’s defence of its intellectual property has drawn the ire of a number of bartenders and cocktail fans, who have vowed to boycott Pusser’s Rum and have swamped the company’s own Facebook page with critical commentary.

On May 16, Pusser’s, which holds several United States rights to the word “painkiller” as applied to beverages and beverage mixes, settled a US suit with the owners of a bar then known as Painkiller New York City. The bar agreed to change its name — it’s now called PKNY, with Pusser’s blessing — and not to serve any drink called a painkiller that doesn’t include Pusser’s Rum.

Since then, two Facebook pages, one called “Bartenders and Cocktailians against Pusser’s Rum,” with 777 fans as of Tuesday night, and another titled “100,000 Bartenders Who Won’t Buy Pusser’s Rum Again,” that actually boasts 449 fans, have sprouted up to criticise the rum company’s suit.

The company’s founder and chairman, Charles Tobias, issued a statement Sunday, addressing some of the critics’ concerns. Mr. Tobias acknowledged the drink was initially created at the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke but said that the then-owner of the bar gave him permission to trademark the drink.

See the June 16, 2011 edition for full coverage.