NO HOME SHOULD BE WITHOUT!!!

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Inspiration for the white suit in “Discotheque” video…

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On my very first trip to Kingston jamaica, I stayed with an artist named Cutty Ranks.  We wrote a couple tracks together for the first “Mr. Anonymous” album, and his vibe was an amazing experience.  He showed me all of the ins and outs of Kingston, taking me to his old neighborhoods and hangouts. He took me deep into the “yards” around Kingston mostly controlled by gangs. I would sit at the entrance with a gang leader holding a submachine gun while he chatted up the other gang members inside to let us in to say hey to his buddies.

We went to a barbershop, domino game, ital roots stand near a river for some “run down”, carwash, etc…and we had some sessions in his backyard with his buddy “Dr. Innoncent” who was also on the first Mr. Anonymous album. We sat on cinder blocks under palm trees smoking spliffs while they passed a dictaphone back and forth reciting lyrics for new grooves and tunes. 

Every morning I would wake up to the sound of his GIANT boombox cranking out a dancehall groove while he was dj’ing lyric ideas into a pen, like it was a mic. My biggest impression of Cutty as an artist was his true passion for his craft and the fact that he lives music day and night with no low gear.

On many nights we would go to local bars and just chill out and talk about music and grooves and women, etc…and on these nights I had the pleasure of enjoying his favorite concoction which he claims is also medicinal as well as tasty…thus the “Cutty Ranks” cocktail, plain and simple:

1 Guiness ale

1 shot of Appleton Rum

…take 2 or 3 sips off of the bottle and then pour the shot right in the beer…REALLY good!!!

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The famed “Uncle Pete” cocktail is named after my Uncle Peter who personifies a true zest for life and appreciation for the moment.  I have always been inspired by his uncanny ability to liven up a room with positive vibes.  As a kid in the 1940’s, he was an avid surfer and soccer player, and as an adult, an avid fisherman and tennis player. In my opinion, his experience of the “good things” in life has been nothing less than a deep journey into the “True Essence” of  the moments that make life special. Tennis is not just tennis. Fishing is not just fishing. And a cocktail is not just a cocktail!

I have had the pleasure of having many an “Uncle Pete” with the man, and every single time he takes the first sip, he says with a great smile “God Damn that’s good”, like it’s the first one he ever had.  To me, this embodies the real spirit of  an “Uncle Pete”…of enjoying a simple taste and appreciating a simple moment in time…by one cool dude!!!

So enjoy this drink and on the first sip, make sure to say “Damn that’s good”…because it is!!!   Cheers!!!

Mix in a rocks glass with ice:

1 1/2  shots of Myers Dark rum              

Orange Juice

Slice Lime

Splash of Apple juice

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