To Clarify - THIS is a fifth
Because I am apparently the only one with both an interest in history and drinking as a combined subject:
Because I am apparently the only one with both an interest in history and drinking as a combined subject:
A fifth is a unit of volume formerly used for distilled beverages in the United States, and is equal to one fifth of a gallon, 4⁄5 quart, or 253⁄5 fluid ounces (757 mL); it has been superseded by the metric fifth of 750 mL, approximately 1% smaller, which is the standard capacity of wine bottles world-wide.
In the late nineteenth century, liquor was often sold in bottles which appeared to hold a quart (32 fl.oz.) but in fact contained 2, 3, or 4 fluid ounces less than a quart and were called "fifths", short quarts, or commercial quarts.
A quart or one fifth of a gallon was a common legal threshold for the difference between selling by the drink and selling by the bottle or at wholesale, and thus the difference between a drinking saloon or barroom and a dry-goods store.
The fifth was the usual size of bottle for distilled beverages in the United States until 1980. Other authorized units based on the fifth included 4⁄5 pint and 1⁄10 pint.