Why is a handle of alcohol called a handle?

Answer 1

Simply enough, it's because the bottle has a handle on it. The word is a colloquialism, used mostly by young adults, that assigned a concise term to describe the biggest available sized bottle of liquor. Interestingly enough, the handles were put on the bottles in the first place to get around liquor laws that require bottles without handles to be subjected to special packaging, storage, or transportation rules. For example, in many states, it is illegal to carry unconcealed alcohol in an outside, public place unless it has a handle.

Answer 2

A handle of alcohol is the larger 1.75L liter size. Because of the size, most bottles are designed with a handle incorporated in the design.

Answer 3

1.75 liter (= 1 liter + 1/5 gal.)