1.75 liter bottles: what the size is and where to buy

A 1.75 liter bottle is the size most people call a handle. It holds 1,750 milliliters, which is about 59 fluid ounces, or roughly 39 standard 1.5-ounce pours. CBC Liquors at 142 Littleton Rd in Westford carries a wide range of spirits, and this guide explains the size and how to find the bottle you want.

What is a 1.75 liter bottle?

A 1.75 liter bottle is the largest common size of spirits sold in the United States. It is 1,750 milliliters, which works out to about 59.2 fluid ounces. Most people call it a handle because many of these bottles have a molded finger grip near the neck.

It sits above the 1 liter bottle and the 750 milliliter bottle, which is the standard size for wine and most spirits. A handle holds about 2.3 times as much as a 750.

The size is used mostly for spirits: vodka, rum, whiskey, gin and tequila. Wine is rarely sold in it.

How many drinks are in a 1.75 liter bottle?

At a standard 1.5 ounce pour, a handle gives you about 39 drinks. At a 2 ounce pour, which is common in cocktails, it is closer to 29.

That matters when you are planning a party or stocking a home bar for an event. A 750 milliliter bottle gives about 16 standard pours, so one handle covers the same ground as two and a third regular bottles.

Plan around guests who are drinking at an easy pace, with food and water on the table, and remember that nobody needs to finish what you buy. Spirits keep well once opened if the cap is tight.

Which spirits come in a handle?

Mass-market spirits are the ones most often bottled in 1.75 liters. Brands we carry that you may be looking for include Tito's Vodka, Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey and 99 Watermelons Schnapps.

Which sizes each of those comes in is best checked on the product page itself, since the size options are listed there. Start with the vodka, rum or whiskey category pages if you are browsing for a particular spirit.

The same idea applies to tequila and gin, where the larger bottle is common for the well-known labels.

Is a handle the right size for your event?

Handles make sense when one spirit will be used heavily: a punch base, a batch of cocktails, a graduation or retirement party, or a long weekend with a full house. Below that, a 750 is easier to store and pour.

The bottle is heavy. A full handle of spirits weighs around eight pounds, so a pump or a steady two-handed pour helps. Keep it low on a shelf at home.

If you are mixing, pick up mixers at the same time so you are not making a second trip. Our party planner page is there if you want help thinking through quantities for a larger gathering.

Looking for a rare or hard-to-find bottle?

A 1.75 liter bottle is a mainstream size, so it is not usually where rare bottles live. If you are hunting for something scarce, our allocated items page is the place to look, and our kegs and special order request page covers items you want us to track down.

For bourbon, the bourbon category is where to start, and for scotch see scotch. Tell us the bottle and size you are after and we will tell you what we can do.

With 4,559 products and 1,880 brands in stock, it is worth searching before you assume something is out of reach.

Can you pick up or have it delivered?

Yes. CBC Liquors offers pickup, delivery and shipping besides walking in. A handle is heavy enough that many people prefer to have it brought to them.

Pickup hours are Sunday 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday to Thursday 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, and Friday and Saturday 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Delivery hours run a half hour shorter at the close: Sunday until 7:30 PM, Monday to Thursday until 8:30 PM, and Friday and Saturday until 9:30 PM.

We serve Chelmsford, Carlisle, Littleton, Acton, Tyngsborough, Lowell, Billerica, Boxborough and Dunstable as well as Westford. See the delivery areas page, or your town, such as Chelmsford or Acton. Our shipping policy page covers shipping.

What other bottle sizes should you know?

The common sizes run from the small 50 milliliter miniature to the handle. Between them are the 200 and 375 milliliter flasks and half pints, the 750 milliliter standard bottle, and the 1 liter and 1.75 liter sizes.

Wine is almost always 750 milliliters. A bottle like Nicolas Feuillatt Reserve Brut Champagne follows that standard, and you can browse sparkling wine for more.

For a bigger gathering, buying a few standard bottles in different styles gives guests more choice than one large bottle of a single spirit.

How do you check what is on the shelf?

The quickest way is to use the liquor category on our site and open the product you want to see its size options. You can also come in to the store at 142 Littleton Rd in Westford, open Sunday 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday to Thursday 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, and Friday and Saturday 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

Our Google rating is 4.7 out of 5 from 339 reviews. If you cannot find the bottle and size you want, ask the team and we will help you look.