Jamaica - party central

Article by: Richard Koss, August 2008

If you want to get into the Jamaican swing, it's time to learn the other three Rs: rum, reggae and Red Stripe.

Jamaica has had a pleasure-dome reputation for centuries, kicking off with the 17th-century debauchery of the pirate-run Port Royal, carrying on with the hippie hedonism of 1970s Negril and taking that party spirit right into the new millennium. Sure, it reaches its loudest and brashest when the hordes descend on Negril and Montego Bay each year for spring break, but Jamaicans don't need a season - or a reason - to throw a party. Why would you when you've got an irresistible sound-and-light show of pulsing reggae and awe-inspiring sunsets, and the world's finest rum?

Rum

No country's liquor cabinet boasts a wider variety of rums than Jamaica. Sample and savour them in fruit punches, on the rocks or in daiquiris. Taste rums flavoured with coconut and peppermint, or if you're looking for premium smoothness, go for the Appleton Special, aged to an amber tint in oak barrels. If you want to knock your socks off, try Overproof (151 proof) white rum, but be careful - it may come in a shot glass, but it's definitely not a shot. It's best enjoyed mixed with Ting, a local grapefruit drink. Downing shots of Overproof will bring you nothing but an early night.

If you're on the west side of the island, stop by the Appleton Rum Estate (tel: 963 9215; tour and rum tasting US$12; Mon-Sat), situated 1km northeast of Maggotty in the middle of the Siloah Valley. It's the largest distillery in Jamaica and has been blending the celebrated Appleton brand since 1749. Several dozen varieties are available for sampling, and the shop does a predictably brisk business with tipsy visitors who just can't get enough.

Red Stripe

Red Stripe is Jamaica's most beloved beer, adorably named after the seam that runs down a policeman's trousers. It's the perfect complement to fiery jerk food and is the drink of choice at any beach bonfire or sound-system dance show. Beer lovers seeking a heavier drop can opt for the locally brewed Dragon Stout, but it's unlikely to make them forget Guinness.

Reggae

While the reggae revolution of the late 60s to the early 80s put Jamaica on the musical map, aficionados visiting today will find dancehall music courses through the island's veins. This is not your parents' reggae, and the spitfire delivery of the DJs' patois rhymes will be utterly impenetrable to the uninitiated. Nevertheless, a few days on the island will whet your appetite and a dancehall sound-system - a raucous combination of block party, dance club, fashion show and all-out stereo war - should not be missed. Sound-systems can be heard blocks away, often starting just before midnight and ending at sunrise. The most inviting sound-systems take place out in the country, but news of them usually travels by word of mouth or appears on a last-minute sign. If you're in Kingston on a Wednesday, however, you should definitely check out Weddy Weddy Wednesdays, the mother of all jams.

The beat of vintage reggae still goes on, although the schmaltzy tourist-serenading bands can make you think it's on life support. Nevertheless, the indomitable influence of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Burning Spear and Lee 'Scratch' Perry propel many a club's reggae night, and their many heirs can be heard playing at Negril's beachside bars.

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The jump-off for Kingston's electric sound-systems is uptown at Weddy Weddy Wednesdays on Burlington Ave. Action doesn't usually start until after midnight and once it subsides much of the crowd troops off to the Passa Passa sound-system, at the intersection of Spanish Town Rd and Beeston St, which blasts until sunrise.
Reggae Sumfest is a virtual carnival that takes over Montego Bay for four days during the last week in July. A beach party and street jam precede the actual shows, which are all-night affairs featuring all-star lineups of the calibre of Beenie Man and Bounty Killer.
The sunsets at Negril, Jamaica's most western point, not only justify their hype, they herald a variety of evening reggae that take the stage at beachside clubs, most notably Roots Bamboo, Alfred's Ocean Palace and Bourbon Beach.
Port Antonio, the sleepy capital of Portland parish, gets down at lively Club La Best, which assumes different identities throughout the week - dancehall throbs into the wee hours on Fridays, live shows happen periodically on Saturdays, and Sundays are a mellow blend of reggae and old-school R&B.
Kingston goes cosmopolitan at Quad, a complex consisting of four distinct clubs: Christopher's Jazz Club, Taboo (a gentleman's club that lives up to its name) and weekend discos Voodoo Lounge and Oxygen.