how many shots out of a fifth
Close but a little off. You can round it to 17 shots in a fifth. A standard shot is indeed 1.5 ounces, and a fifth is 750 millileters. There are 44.36 mL in each 1.5 oz shot. doing the math, there are 16.907 1.5oz shots in a fifth. It depends on the definitions. A fifth of a gallon is 25.6 oz, 725.76 mL.
It refers to the fact that the bottles were 1/5th of a gallon. These days most bottles are 750 ml, which is close to 1/5 of a gallon. A gallon contains 128 fluid ounces. So a fifth (1/5) or 750ml contains a tad more than 25 oz, or 25 one-ounce shots. Of course, many use 1 Â½ ounce for a standard shot which is around 16 shots. Bar Measurement Chart.