Drinking mildly responsibly

I know we all realize how terrible drinking is for weight loss, and while I will agree to this at the end of the day it still happens. I've gotten much better at turning down the casual beer but for events (Whether it be a wedding, New Years, or a birthday) I'm going to be damned if I miss out for a few calories. Any suggestions for how to make the best of a day at the gym before/after a night on the town? I've been going vodka and cranberry recently instead my old friend beer but have heard it's also much better to do cardio than strength before going out on the town. Thoughts/suggestions?