Updated July 2026.
A 1-litre bottle holds about 22.7 US shots if you treat a shot as 44 mL (1.5 ounces). Exact: 1000 ÷ 44 ≈ 22.7. One-ounce pours give about 33.8. A 750 mL fifth is about 17 of those 1.5-ounce shots; a 700 mL European bottle is about 15.9. All three sizes are authorized US fills (27 CFR 5.203). Inventory math, not a drinking plan.
The United States does not write a single national shot size into federal law. NIAAA still uses 1.5 oz of 40% spirits as one standard drink. Most US bars pour 1.5 oz. Always divide 1000 mL by the actual pour.
Litre conversions
| Pour | mL | US fl oz | Shots in 1 L |
|---|---|---|---|
| US 1.5 oz (44 mL) | 44 | 1.5 | 22.7 |
| US 1.5 oz exact (44.36 mL) | 44.36 | 1.5 | 22.5 |
| US ounce / pony | 29.57 | 1.0 | 33.8 |
| US short / some chains | 37 | 1.25 | 27.0 |
| On-the-rocks | 59 | 2.0 | 16.9 |
| UK single | 25 | 0.85 | 40.0 |
| UK large single / 35 mL house | 35 | 1.2 | 28.6 |
| Mini bottle | 50 | 1.7 | 20.0 |
33.8 ÷ 1.5 = 22.5 if you convert the litre to ounces first. 1000 ÷ 44 = 22.7 if you use the rounded 44 mL shot. Same bottle. Competitor pages that print “22” are rounding down a remainder. See shots in a 750 mL bottle and how many mL is a shot.
700 mL vs 750 mL vs 1 L
| Bottle (27 CFR 5.203) | Volume | US fl oz | 1.5 oz / 44 mL shots |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe / now US-legal | 700 mL | 23.7 | 15.9 |
| US fifth | 750 mL | 25.4 | 17.0 |
| Litre | 1.00 L | 33.8 | 22.7 |
| Handle | 1.75 L | 59.2 | 39.8 |
TTB’s January 2025 final rule (T.D. TTB-200) put 700 mL on the 5.203 list. It is still not a fifth. A litre is about 33% more liquid than 750 mL — about 5.7 extra 44 mL shots, not a different spirit. For the name “fifth,” see how much a fifth of alcohol is. For whiskey, shots in a fifth of whiskey is the 750 mL count.
Proof does not change the shot count
A litre of vodka, gin, whiskey, or tequila is still a litre. ABV changes how many standard drinks are in those 22.7 volume shots, not how many times you can fill a 1.5 oz glass.
| Bottle | ABV | 1.5 oz shots in 1 L | Std drinks in that litre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80-proof spirits | 40% | 22.7 | 22.5* |
| Flavored vodka (example 30%) | 30% | 22.7 | 16.9 |
| 100-proof / bottled-in-bond | 50% | 22.7 | 28.2 |
*Standard drinks = (fl oz × ABV) ÷ 0.6. A litre is 33.8 oz, so at 40%: 33.8 × 0.40 ÷ 0.6 = 22.5 drinks. Volume shots at 44 mL (22.7) and alcohol shots (22.5) only sit next to each other because the US shot was defined around 80-proof liquor and 44 mL is a rounding.
A decorative shot glass often holds more than 1.5 oz if you fill it to the brim. Inventory assumes a consistent pour. Do not “finish the litre” as a unit of consumption. A litre of 40% spirits is more than four times a binge-drinking pattern. Split it, cork it, put it back. For how those shots add up in the body, see how many shots to get drunk — that page is math, not a challenge.
Sources
- 1 L = 1000 mL = 33.814 US fl oz. 1.5 US fl oz ≈ 44.36 mL; rounded 44 mL → 1000 ÷ 44 ≈ 22.7 shots. 1 oz → ≈ 33.8 shots.
- 27 CFR 5.203 (T.D. TTB-200, effective January 10, 2025): 700 mL, 750 mL, 1.00 Liter, and 1.75 L are authorized distilled-spirits fills.
- NIAAA standard drink (December 2025): 1.5 oz of 40% spirits = 14 g alcohol. CDC standard drink sizes (December 12, 2024): same 1.5 oz / 40% unit.