How many shots in a bottle
Find out how many shots you can pour from a fifth, liter, handle or 70 cl bottle. Choose your pour size, account for spillage and calculate the cost per pour and how many bottles to order.
How many shots in a fifth
About 17 at 1.5 oz. Here is where the number comes from, and the other bottles bars order most.
A fifth was a fifth of a US gallon, 25.6 fl oz or about 757 ml. US spirits bottles went metric in 1980, and the fifth became today's 750 ml bottle: 25.4 fl oz. At a 1.5 oz pour that is 16.9 shots; at 1 oz, 25.4; at 2 oz, 12.7.
Worked example: a bottle of bourbon at 1.5 oz
| Buffalo Trace Bourbon, 750 ml | $31.83 |
|---|---|
| Pour, 1.5 oz | 44.4 ml |
| Pours per bottle, 750 ÷ 44.4 | 16.9 |
| Cost per pour, $31.83 ÷ 16.9 | $1.88 |
| With a 3% spillage allowance | 16.4 pours, $1.94 each |
| 120 pours a week | 7.1 bottles, order 8 |
The cost per pour is the number that goes into the drink's pour cost. Put it in the pour cost calculator with your menu price to see the margin.
How many shots in a handle
A handle is the 1.75 L bottle, 59.2 fl oz. It pours 39.4 shots of 1.5 oz, 59.2 of 1 oz and 29.6 of 2 oz. A handle holds as much as 2⅓ fifths, so compare bottles by their price per fl oz.
How many shots in a liter
A 1 L bottle is 33.8 fl oz: 22.5 shots of 1.5 oz, 33.8 of 1 oz, 16.9 of 2 oz.
How many shots in a 70cl bottle
The 70 cl bottle sold in the UK and Europe pours 28 measures of 25 ml, 20 of 35 ml or 14 doubles of 50 ml. In the UK, gin, rum, vodka and whisky sold by the glass must come in 25 ml or 35 ml measures or multiples of them, and the bar must show which one it uses.
Pours per bottle = bottle size ÷ pour size, both in ml or both in fl oz. With spillage = bottle size × (1 − allowance) ÷ pour size.
Cost per pour = bottle price ÷ pours per bottle.
Bottles to order = pours you need ÷ pours per bottle, rounded up.
Sources: US bottle sizes and the 1980 metric switch, 27 CFR 5.203 (TTB standards of fill); standard drink, NIAAA; UK measures, the Weights and Measures (Intoxicating Liquor) Order 1988, article 3; 1 US fl oz = 29.5735 ml (NIST). Bottle price: the Marlowe, a sample bar.
- Sarah Dawn MarsWrote this · Head of customer success and community
Sarah co-founded and ran Teresa Cocktail Bar, a Tales of the Cocktail nominee. She was also the first customer success hire at Loaded and now builds Overproof.
Shots per bottle chart
Pours per bottle at the common US and UK measures. At a 1 oz pour, a bottle pours its size in fl oz, the second column.
Scroll sideways for all seven pour sizes.
| Bottle | fl oz / 1 oz pours | 1¼ oz | 1½ oz | 2 oz | 25 ml | 35 ml | 50 ml |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 ml miniature | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| 200 ml | 6.8 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 8.0 | 5.7 | 4.0 |
| 375 ml half bottle, a “pint” in US slang | 12.7 | 10.1 | 8.5 | 6.3 | 15.0 | 10.7 | 7.5 |
| 700 ml (70 cl), the UK and EU bottle | 23.7 | 18.9 | 15.8 | 11.8 | 28.0 | 20.0 | 14.0 |
| 750 ml fifth, the US bottle | 25.4 | 20.3 | 16.9 | 12.7 | 30.0 | 21.4 | 15.0 |
| 1 L | 33.8 | 27.1 | 22.5 | 16.9 | 40.0 | 28.6 | 20.0 |
| 1.75 L handle | 59.2 | 47.3 | 39.4 | 29.6 | 70.0 | 50.0 | 35.0 |
Exact pours, one decimal. 1 US fl oz = 29.5735 ml. Behind the bar a bottle gives a little less than the chart: set a spillage allowance in the calculator to plan with your own figure.
Shots per bottle questions
How many 2 oz shots are in a fifth?
12.7. A fifth is 25.4 fl oz, and 25.4 ÷ 2 = 12.7, so twelve full 2 oz pours and a short one.
How many ounces are in a 750 ml bottle?
25.4 US fl oz. A US fluid ounce is 29.5735 ml, and 750 ÷ 29.5735 = 25.36.
How many 1 oz shots are in 1.75 liters?
59.2. A handle is 1,750 ml, which is 59.2 fl oz.
What size is a standard shot?
In the US, a standard drink of spirits is 1.5 fl oz at about 40% ABV, the NIAAA's definition, and it is the most common single pour. Your house pour is your call: many bars pour 1.5 oz in a cocktail's base and some pour 2 oz neat. In the UK it is 25 ml or 35 ml by law for gin, rum, vodka and whisky.
Why does a bottle give fewer pours than the chart?
Drips, over-pours, spills and the last few milliliters that stay in the bottle. Measure it: count the pours your POS rang against the bottles you emptied over a few weeks, then use the gap as your spillage allowance.
Every bottle costed to the pour
In Jery each bottle carries its size and the price on your last invoice, so every spec that uses it is costed to the milliliter. Counts and sales show how many pours a bottle really gave, and the order sheet works from par in bottles.
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- How to measure over-pouring with a pour testSee what an extra ¼ oz costs, find the drink to test first, run a pour test and fix the pours that miss.Guide · 10 min
- Stock & counts in JeryCount by tap, scan or out loud. Jery marks what's low or out against par and drafts the order for your rep.Product
Know what every pour costs
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