There was a time in ski country when running a successful F&B operation meant that all you had to do was sell $1 beers and half-price appetizers during après ski. The cheap beer would pack ’em in, the kitchen would sell the apps, the waitresses would get tipped, and the customers would leave fat and happy.

No longer. Today, F&B operations have to be more productive. The hottest trends in resort libations involve promotions like Park City’s Signature Drink Program. According to Ski Utah’s Jessica Kunaer, the Signature Drink is one of the most successful promotions in the state when it comes to raising Park City’s image and countering the misconceptions that many customers have when it comes to finding a drink in Utah. For the event, local bartenders vie every fall to create the resort town’s signature drink for the winter. (Last year it was a blueberry mojito.)

And there are many other options, as well: Tequila bars, an interesting selection of single-malt whiskies, and wine tastings can be enough to give your bar a new attitude—and a reputation. Colorado’s Loveland ski area opts for microbrews. “We have a good selection on tap,” says the resort’s John Sellers. “And there’s always a special each day.” The signature bar, dubbed the Rathskeller, has a dark, funky vibe that fits the resort, and the resulting combination of low-key ambiance and top-flight draughts has garnered the Rathskeller media coverage in outlets such as the Denver Post and Powder Magazine. There’s a bottom-line benefit, too: regulars who buy a $299 season’s pass can easily exceed that in bar charges.

Being different, like Loveland, can be profitable as well as fun. Take, for example, Boulder, Colorado’s West End Tavern. While not located at a resort, this downtown bar has a sponsorship relationship with Warren Miller (the legendary filmmaker’s classic flicks are projected on a concrete wall) and serves up extra large cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon to a lively crowd that often includes professional skiers, snowboarders and other ski industry folk. The Pabst cans make a hip redneck statement that breaks from tradition, and once customers see the distinctive cans clenched in a fellow patron’s fist, they feel an overwhelming need to have one of their own.

This type of creative approach can rule the day, especially when the odds seem stacked against you. “You’d be surprised to learn that Vermont liquor laws are really tough,” says Killington’s Tom Horrocks. “The law states that we’re not allowed to do any ‘drink specials,’ so that’s why everyone has free wings for happy hour!”

Free apps obviously get customers in the door, but it’s also worth considering upgrading your food offerings to add sophistication to the mix. In that vein, Taos, N.M., hosts a Winter Wine Festival, including seminars, great food and, of course, plenty of vino. And the success of events like Taos’ proves the adage that, “when you build it, they will come.”

Like Taos, wine is the primary ingredient of one of Sun Peaks, B.C.’s signature events. The Icewine festival has been held each January for 10 years, and is scheduled after the Christmas/New Year’s rush to add panache to the winter. Not coincidentally, it also helps fill beds during a traditionally slow time in the season.

“It started with approximately 100 people,” says Sun Peaks’ Ashley Tait, who smiles as she concedes that the head count was padded by locals looking for a free taste of the Icewine, a special vintage which is created using grapes which have frozen on the vine. Ten years later, the event attracts more than 1,500 customers, most of whom stay at the resort during the week (the event runs from Monday to Saturday) and indulge in events such as winemaker’s dinners, seminars and tastings. “It’s awesome,” says Tait. “We have everything from winemakers who only produce 400 cases to international companies.”

Wine, beer or liquor—what most successful promotions, festivals or special events have in common is that, like Sun Peaks’ example, they involve partnerships between resorts and suppliers. “It’s great,” says Leigh Hierholzer of Arapahoe Basin’s six-year old Brewfest, which features beers from five local breweries. “The breweries are really easy to work with. We go through 40 kegs of beer, and the event keeps building.”

While Arapahoe Basin enjoys a close relationship with the other stakeholders in the event, another key element of the success enjoyed by the Brewfest is the resort’s tradition of working closely with local law enforcement to address issues such as off-leash dogs, trash and public intoxication. The management of these and other alcohol-related concerns is crucial for all events or promotions and should not be taken lightly.

Which brings us back to signature drinks, and to moderation. The Aspen Chamber’s party to introduce the town’s annual featured concoction was, ironically, the factor that led to the abandonment of the concept. It seems the intensity of the yearly celebratory bash one year got a bit too much for event organizers to handle. They felt that the only way to bring it under control in future years was to cancel it. Proof—if any was needed—that the final ingredient for success when it comes to throwing any kind of party, promotion or event is knowing when to turn the lights, or the taps, off.