The RRRC Cocktails Challenge

At last, the challenge you have all been waiting for (well, a couple of you anyway…) - the RRRC Cocktail Challenge!! Thanks to all the myriad of suggestions that were posted by our members in the Suggestions for Future Challenges thread :)

This challenge is open for 11 months and 16 days. It will start on 15 July 2011 and continue through until 30 June 2012.

Aim to complete one of the following levels of intoxication by reading the corresponding number of books that can be matched to any of the below-listed categories.
Stone-cold sober - 1 book
Buzzed - 5 books
Tipsy - 10 books
Drunk - 15 books
Hammered: Beer goggles no longer optional - 20 books
Schwasted - 25 books
Passed out in the taxi line - 30 books
Stomach pumped – 50 books or more
These book numbers reflect the total number of books read to hit the intoxication level. This total includes bonus books.

A book selected by location:
Wine of choice ~ a book that is set on a vineyard or in a recognised wine region (eg Napa Valley, Champagne France, Mosel Germany etc). Please note the wine region on your selection. To help, here is a wiki link: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wine-p...
Mojito ~ a book set in Latin America or Cuba, or has a Latino character.
Tennessee Cowboy ~ a book set in one of the southern states of USA, or with a cowboy as main character.
Tequila Sunrise ~ a book that takes place in Mexico or south-west USA (west Texas to San Diego) or has the sun on the cover
Rob Roy ~ a book set in Scotland, has a Scottish character, or the main character is an outlaw/rebel
Manhattan ~ a book set in New York or shows a man with a hat on the cover.
Long Island Ice Tea ~ a book set in (on?) Long Island, or a ‘long’ book (over 450 pages)
Bay Breeze ~ a book set in San Francisco or San Diego, or a book where the characters sail or travel on boats/ships (including space ships).
Rusty Nail - a book that takes place in the 'Rust Belt' (a region of the US stretching from Milwalkee to Syracuse, refer: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust_Belt), has an H/h who is a builder/mechanic or has the colours of autumn on the cover
Rum Runner - a book that takes place in the Caribbean, deals with smuggling or import-export or has a H/h that is a fitness fanatic.
Jägerbomb - a book that takes place in Germany, has something to do with a bomb (threat, war etc), or has an explosion (eg starburst) or bomb on the cover or has a character described as or like a 'bombshell'. (As a point of interest, this drink is banned in some Australian regions as it encourages binge drinking and irresponsible behaviour! Huh – who would have guessed! *sarcasm*)
White Russian – a book set in Eastern Europe or has a predominantly white cover
Mint Julep – a book set in Kentucky or Virginia, or has a mint-green cover.

A book by theme:
Bloody Mary ~ suspense/horror, kick-ass heroine.
Virgin Bloody Mary (for the teetotalers) ~ H/h is a virgin or book has a red cover
Cosmo (ala Sex in the City) ~ Chick lit, book with friends as main characters.
Martini (shaken not stirred) ~ Spy, Special Ops, Undercover agent, romantic suspense (you get the idea…) or a book set in England
Sex on the Beach ~ Erotica or a book set on a beach or beach on the cover
Salty Dog ~ H/h is a pirate, the book is set on ship/boat or H/h has a dog companion
7&7 ~ 7 letters in authors name (1st or last), 7 words in title, 7th in series, or has the number 7 in the title.
Lemon Drop ~ a book with an acerbic/sarcastic H/h or with a yellow cover
Snakebite ~ a vampire book, a book that has a snake in it, or has a character that is sneaky
Kamikaze ~ a book with a ‘daredevil’ type character or a character set at self destruct, or a book set in Japan.
Zombie ~ a zombie book or a book where a character is/has been in a coma or is/was knocked unconscious.
Flaming Lamborghini ~ a book with the words ‘flame’, ‘burn’, ‘smoke’ or ‘fire’ in the title or a book with a character who is a dragon, demon or a professional driver.

Bonus themes:
You may create your own cocktails and match this to your chosen book.


Because we know that you may not remember the who/what/where/when or why, try to maintain a list of books as you drink read and repost them in this thread whenever you come down from your high.

If you plan to have a huge drinking session, you must drink read a book from each of the listed categories before you start over again (25 in total excluding any chosen bonus books).

If you encounter a book during your drinking reading session that was so bad that you want to forget it, feel free to add this as a bonus book to challenge, categorizing it under one of the following drinks: Hurlmaker, FYU (F*ck You Up), Swampwater, Afterbirth or Vulcan Mind Grip.


Level Selection rules:
*You must select your level before you start the challenge
*Once you select your level, you cannot move up or down without penalty. You have until 15 July to make sure you are happy with your level selection.
*The penalty - You may apply to me to finish your bar session early if you have bitten off more than you can chew (eg. you have been aiming for stomach pumped but you can't even get tipsy - face it: you aren't as 'p*ss-fit' as you thought!). This session would show in the summary thread as 'incomplete'. But, if you wanted to, you could then start a new session as the team-driver, aiming for 'Stone-cold sober'.
*Some of you may decide to have a few big nights out, so that once you have achieved your desired level of intoxication you can go home and return the next night with a new alcoholic target. The new target must be new books but may involve your preferred drinks.
*As clarification - just because you have been 'tipsy' and 'drunk', that will not qualify you to be shown as 'passed out'.

Note: If you do apply to me to go home early, I want a really good excuse - eg the school yard bully from 30 years ago has just shown up and you are scared to drink in his/her presence...

General rules:
*Books from other challenges may be used
*Rereads are fine
*Book length of at least 100 pages
*Audiobooks are fine
*You can start drinking reading at any time within the stated period, but must not start before 15 July 2011 and must have completed your last book by 30 June 2012 (I feel a bit like a lawyer)
*Your list may be posted in advance or as you go. You may swap books on your list if you have pre-posted.


Questions? Answered! have been transferred across to the Suggestions thread - see link below.

A separate suggestions thread is available to ask all those tricky, mind-bending questions that appear in your brain as you sort through life with friends on your bar-crawl. Please click on this link: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/6...

Please note: this group, the moderators, and the organizers of this challenge, do not encourage or condone excesses in reading. If you experience any intoxication that impairs judgment whilst reading, please stop immediately and seek help.

Credit for the idea and drinks contained in this challenge goes to Joanne, Jim, Penney, Kami, Dee and Rossy.