Mason Delacroix
The term a fifth of alcohol refers to a unit of volume for wine and distilled beverages that was used in the United States. It is equal to one-fifth of a US liquid gallon or approximately 750 milliliters. In the late 19th century, liquor bottles in the US were often labelled as quarts but contained less, and so became known as fifths, and the term has stuck around.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | One-fifth of a US gallon |
| Other names | Commercial quarts, short quarts |
| Historical context | Bottles in the US in the 19th century were called quarts but contained less than that. |
| Standard capacity | 750 mL or 25.4 fluid ounces |
| Standard capacity (until 1980) | 757 mL |
| Current status | No longer used in the US |
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What You'll Learn
Bottles containing one-fifth of alcohol were called fifths
In the United States, a "fifth" of alcohol is a unit of volume that was previously used for wine and distilled beverages. It is equivalent to one-fifth of a US liquid gallon or approximately 750 milliliters. The term "fifth" originated in the late 19th century when liquor bottles in the US were often labelled as quarts (one-fourth of a gallon) but actually contained less than that amount. These bottles were referred to as "short quarts" or "commercial quarts", and the term "fifth" stuck around even after the metric system was adopted.
The use of the term "fifth" for alcohol bottles dates back to at least the 1850s. Until 1980, a fifth was the standard bottle size for distilled beverages in the United States. The metric bottle size of 750 mL, sometimes called a "metric fifth", is now the standard capacity for wine bottles worldwide and is slightly smaller than the traditional fifth.
The term "fifth" is still commonly used in colloquial expressions related to alcohol consumption. For example, someone might say they drank "a fifth of whiskey" to indicate a significant amount of alcohol consumption. However, it's important to note that the actual volume of alcohol in a bottle can vary, and a standard bottle may hold more or less than 750 mL.
The adoption of the term "fifth" for alcohol bottles may have been influenced by legal and commercial factors. In the 19th century, one-fifth of a gallon was a significant threshold for distinguishing between selling alcohol by the drink or by the bottle. This distinction had implications for whether a business was classified as a saloon, barroom, or dry-goods store.
While the specific reasons for the widespread use of "fifths" in alcohol packaging may be difficult to pinpoint, it is clear that this unit of measurement has left its mark on the cultural and commercial landscape of alcohol-related practices in the United States.
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One-fifth of a gallon was a legal threshold for selling by the drink or bottle
In the 19th century, liquor in the US was often sold in bottles that appeared to hold one US quart (950 mL) but actually contained less and were called "fifths". This was one-fifth of a US liquid gallon, or 25+3⁄5 US fluid ounces (757 millilitres). This was a common legal threshold for selling by the drink or bottle. If a saloon sold liquor by the bottle, it was considered a "dry-goods store", whereas if they sold by the drink, it was considered a "drinking saloon".
The term "fifth" has stuck around, even though the US has since switched to the international metric system, and alcohol is now measured in millilitres and litres. The bottle sizes have also changed, and a bottle of alcohol can now be bigger or smaller than the standard fifth of a gallon (750 ml) bottle.
The fifth was the usual size of bottle for distilled beverages in the US until 1980, when the metric system was adopted. During the 1970s, there was a push for metrication of US government standards, and in 1975, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, in cooperation with the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, proposed a metric-standard bottle.
The term "fifth" is also used in the UK, where it refers to an imperial gallon, which is equal to 4.546 litres.
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The US has since switched to the metric system
The term "a fifth of alcohol" comes from the 19th century when liquor in the US was often sold in bottles that were labelled as quarts (32 US fl oz; 950 mL) but actually contained less. These bottles were called "fifths", "short quarts", or "commercial quarts". One-fifth of a gallon was also a common legal threshold for the difference between selling by the drink and selling by the bottle.
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A fifth of alcohol is 750ml
The term "a fifth of alcohol" refers to a unit of volume that was historically used for wine and distilled beverages in the United States. It is equivalent to one-fifth of a US liquid gallon or approximately 750 milliliters. The term "fifth" originated in the 19th century when liquor bottles in the US were labelled as quarts but actually contained less than that amount. These bottles were referred to as "short quarts" or "commercial quarts", and the term "fifth" stuck around even after the US adopted the metric system.
The metric bottle size of 750 mL, sometimes called a "metric fifth", is now the standard capacity for wine bottles worldwide. It is slightly smaller than the traditional fifth, which was about 757 milliliters. The switch to the metric system in the US occurred during the 1970s, and by 1980, the standard bottle size for liquor was no longer a full fifth but varied above and below 750 mL.
The term "fifth" is still commonly used today, and when someone says they drank a fifth of alcohol, it is understood to mean a significant amount. The exact conversion of a fifth to milliliters is approximately 750 mL, which is equal to 25.36 US fluid ounces or about one-fifth of a gallon (128 ounces). This conversion highlights the origin of the term "fifth" as it represents one-fifth of a gallon.
The historical context of the term "fifth" provides insight into the evolution of alcohol bottle sizes and measurement systems in the United States. While the specific reasons for the adoption of the "fifth" as a unit of measurement may have been lost over time, the term remains a part of common parlance when discussing alcohol consumption and bottle sizes.
In summary, "a fifth of alcohol" refers to 750 mL, which is a standard metric bottle size for wine and spirits worldwide. This term originated from historical measurement practices in the US, where liquor bottles were labelled as containing a fifth of a gallon, or 750-757 mL, before the metric system was adopted.
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Fifth bottles date back to at least the 1850s
Fifth bottles, or bottles containing a fifth of alcohol, date back to at least the 1850s. A fifth of alcohol is one-fifth of a US gallon or 4/5 of a quart, which is approximately 750 ml or 25.36 ounces.
In the mid-19th century, liquor in the US was often sold in bottles that appeared to hold one US quart (32 US fl oz; 950 ml) but actually contained less and were called "fifths", "short quarts", or "commercial quarts". This was a common legal threshold for the difference between selling by the drink and selling by the bottle or at wholesale, thus differentiating between a drinking saloon and a dry-goods store. The term "fifths" has simply stuck around since then.
Until 1980, a fifth was the standard size of bottle for distilled beverages in the United States. The US has since switched to the international metric system, and alcohol is now measured in milliliters and liters. The metric bottle size of 750 ml is approximately 1% smaller than the previous "fifth" bottle size of 757 ml.
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Frequently asked questions
A "fifth" of alcohol is a unit of volume that was formerly used for wine and distilled beverages in the United States. It is equal to one-fifth of a US liquid gallon or roughly 750 ml.
In the late 19th century, liquor in the US was often sold in bottles that appeared to hold one US quart but actually contained less. These bottles were called "fifths", "short quarts", or "commercial quarts". The term "fifths" stuck around even though the US has since switched to the metric system.
A fifth of alcohol is roughly equivalent to 750 ml or 25.36 ounces. It is slightly larger than the current standard bottle size of 750 ml.
