Justonemorepound, the articles I've read such as this one:
http://www.nutritionj.com/content/9/1/14
all point to alcohol, in and of itself, not being a factor in weight gain, due to not triggering an increased insulin response.
Low carb, low sugar alcohol such as very dry wine is what I see recommended the most.
Other than that, are the usual admonishments to have a designated driver, and not to let the drink lead to eating snacks, which are usually in the vicinity.
I don't drink, and don't care for it. But, I haven't seen any scientific data that dry wine leads to weight gain.
Mixed drinks, beer, or brandy, and such are full of carbs and sugar. The danger in those for keeping one's diet, is not the alcohol itself.
I have to bow to science on this one, and not my personal preference.
The blogs in my signature, have more info, if you're interested in using the search engine and reading about alcohol and metabolism and the interaction of alcohol and macronutrients. Not eating carbs when drinking alcohol is highly recommended.
We all like what we like.