estled in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains is Lake Placid, New York, which not only attracts tourists with its Olympic history (1932 and 1980), winter and water sports, and quaint village shops, it’s also a hot spot for meetings, weddings, and other special events. To draw this goldmine of group business, Hilton Lake Placid Resort offers an array of themed events for all four seasons, customizing menus and even cocktails to every activity.

“Since we’ve succeeded at developing some creative and popular group events, we’re focusing on signature drinks to accompany each one,” says Babs Reid, event coordinator for the resort.

In the winter, the resort offers hot specialty drinks at their Toboggan Party, a favorite event among corporate groups. While guests warm up with hors d’oeuvres and cocktails in a heated tent, a toboggan takes shifts of four passengers down a three-story ice chute onto frozen Mirror Lake. To celebrate the adventure, tent bartenders serve up Alpine Slides, sweet concoctions of Baileys Irish Cream, Rumple Minze, coffee, and whipped cream sprinkled with chocolate shavings. Also served is another traditionally toe-warming temptation, the Hot Toddy, made with hot tea, lemon, ginger, cinnamon, honey, and rum.

In the spring and summer, the Hilton books Lake Placid cocktail cruises on an enclosed, turn-of-the-century craft that chugs past private island estates, Adirondack wildlife, camps, and Whiteface Mountain (site of the 1980 Winter Olympics). Parties of 60 guests enjoy customized menus of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres and an open bar during the one-hour, sixteen-mile cruise. A chilling highlight of the tour is the story about Mabel Smith Douglas, a college dean who took a boat out on Lake Placid and never returned; 30 years later, she was found 150 feet under the water’s surface, completely preserved.

“Since everyone loves a good ghost story, we’ve memorialized poor Mabel with a signature cocktail available on the boat,” says Reid. “Called the Lady in the Lake, it’s made with cranberry juice, vodka, ginger ale, and a slice of lime. Sounds a little morose, but it’s actually a really popular drink … it adds character to the party.”

Ashley Brown Allen is a frequent contributor to HOTEL F&B.