It's tempting to order a cosmopolitan cocktail at a party, a bar or while catching the sun's rays on a restaurant patio.

Malt liquors have a higher alcohol content than beer -- at least 7 percent. Malt liquors can come in 40-oz. bottles, 16-oz. to 24-oz. cans or 12-oz. servings.

Sake, a dry rice wine, has a higher alcohol content than most wines made from grapes. It's served hot, room-temperature or chilled. Labels on sake often include recommendations for the serving temperature for that particular sake.

Vodka is sometimes flavored; it can be made from wheat, barley or another substance. Regardless of the type of vodka, it is often mixed with soda rather than consumed straight. Sprite is a citrus-flavored soda that is used in vodka cocktails.

If you’re following a low-carb diet, you may want to watch which cocktails you drink. You always add calories when you mix a drink with vodka, but depending on your mixer, you may or may not add carbs to your daily count.

Jose Cuervo makes several varieties of tequila, but all of them have the same calories counts. This tequila can be consumed by the shot or mixed into a drink such as a margarita.

Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum is aged in American white oak bourbon barrels. It’s a 70-proof alcohol that can be made into a variety of drinks such as hard root beer, Captain and cola or simply poured over ice. As with all alcohol, Captain Morgan does have calories.

You may enjoy the taste of Triple Sec or you may use it in a mixed drink such as a margarita. This liqueur has more calories in it than does a shot of regular liquor, even though Triple Sec packs less of an alcohol punch.

Smirnoff vodka is a staple in bars across the country. In a blind taste held by "The New York Times" in January 2005, 21 vodkas from around the world were sampled and Smirnoff was chosen as the best.

The calorie and sodium content of wine varies by type, but wine is typically a low-sodium beverage. That said, the calories in wine can add up quickly after a few drinks, which is one reason why moderate consumption is recommended.

A vodka gimlet is commonly made with two ounces of vodka mixed with two ounces of lime juice and some ice, according to Food.com. But there are some variations on the mixture. Food.com lists nine different recipes for a vodka gimlet.

Alcoholic drinks are created by fermenting natural sugars and starches, which converts the sugars into alcohol. Calories derived from alcohol are known as "empty calories" because they do not have any nutritional value.