Updated August 2026.
A fifth of alcohol is a 750 milliliter bottle — 25.36 US fluid ounces, about 17 shots of 1.5 ounces. TTB authorizes that fill (27 CFR 5.203). The nickname is leftover from one-fifth of a US gallon (25.6 fl oz / 757 mL). Price is not a national number: brand, state excise, and control-state markups set the receipt.
Fifth vs other US bottle names
| What people say | Volume | US fl oz | 1.5 oz shots | TTB notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini / airplane | 50 mL | 1.7 | 1.1 | Legal fill |
| Half-pint (metric) | 200 mL | 6.8 | 4.5 | Legal fill |
| Pint (metric) | 375 mL | 12.7 | 8.5 | Legal fill |
| Europe / now US-legal | 700 mL | 23.7 | 15.8 | Authorized 2025; not a fifth |
| Fifth | 750 mL | 25.4 | 16.9 (~17) | Workhorse size |
| Liter | 1 L | 33.8 | 22.5 | Legal fill |
| Handle / half gallon (metric) | 1.75 L | 59.2 | 39.5 | Legal fill; ~2.3 fifths |
A true one-fifth of a US liquid gallon is 25.6 fl oz (128 ÷ 5), or about 757 mL. The metric fifth is ~7 mL smaller. You will not taste the missing quarter-ounce. You will notice if you confuse a fifth with a handle: 1.75 L is 2.33 fifths, not “a big fifth.”
Why it is called a fifth
Before metric conversion, US liquor was sold in pints, fifths, and half gallons. In 1980 the US required metric standards of fill for distilled spirits. 750 mL replaced the English fifth; 375 mL replaced the pint; 1.75 L replaced the half gallon. The slang did not update. Current TTB law is 27 CFR 5.203 (T.D. TTB-200, January 10, 2025). Older Part 5 put the same metric-fill rule under 5.45 / 5.47a before the 2022 recodification.
Europe often still uses 700 mL. That size is now also a legal US fill. It is still not a “fifth.” Duty-free 1 L is not a fifth either.
How much alcohol — and how much money — is in a fifth
Volume is not dose. A fifth of 80-proof vodka holds about 17 standard drinks (14 g alcohol each — NIAAA). A fifth of 21% Malibu holds about 9. Wine at 12% ABV in a 750 mL bottle is about five 5-ounce glasses, or five standard drinks (wine fills sit in 27 CFR 4.72). For the shot arithmetic see how many shots are in a 750ml bottle and how many shots are in a fifth of whiskey.
“How much is a fifth” also means price. There is no official 2026 fifth MSRP. A well vodka and a bonded bourbon share the same 750 mL glass and not the same sticker. Control states post their own lists. This page is the size. The receipt is local.
Do people still use the word?
Yes, in the US. Shelf tags say 750 mL. Spoken English still says fifth, especially for whiskey and vodka. “Handle” for 1.75 L is equally stuck. If a recipe says “a fifth of rum,” pour a 750 mL bottle. UK speech is different: a “bottle” is often 70 cl. For the pour size those 17 shots assume, see how many mL is a shot.
Wine fifths vs spirit fifths
Wine uses 750 mL as the everyday bottle too. A “fifth of wine” is five 5-ounce glasses at 12% ABV, about five standard drinks, not 17. Only 40% spirits make the fifth equal 17 drinks. If a punch recipe says “a fifth of whiskey and a fifth of wine,” that is 17 whiskey drinks plus 5 wine drinks in the bowl. Ice and ginger ale do not subtract ethanol.
Sources
- 27 CFR 5.203, standards of fill for distilled spirits: 750 mL and 1.75 L authorized (T.D. TTB-200, Jan. 10, 2025). Historical cite 27 CFR 5.45 / 5.47a before recodification.
- Historical fifth = 1/5 US gallon = 25.6 fl oz ≈ 757 mL; metric fifth = 750 mL = 25.36 fl oz.
- 27 CFR 4.72: 750 mL is an authorized wine fill.
- NIAAA standard drink: 14 g alcohol; 1.5 oz of 40% spirits = 1 drink, so a 750 mL 40% bottle ≈ 17 drinks.