In France it seems like drink volumes are almost always stated in terms of centiliters, with 50cl being the most common. Is this the same in other parts of the world? Why are centiliters used instead of milliliters or deciliters?
For those of us still stuck in antiquity as far as weights and measures are concerned. fluid ounces are used.
I was interested in this because I spent two weeks in France last month. In general, units are chosen so that the scale yields measurement that are simple to deal with. People generally prefer to measure 50 of something over 0.5 of something or 500 somethings. I bought gas there by filling the tank with 45 liters rather than 4,500 centiliters. I would rather drive 10 kilometers than 1,000,000 centimeters. I would rather weigh 80 kilgorams than 80,000 grams. If you pick the wrong units the numbers just get unwieldy.
In the U.S. fluid ounces are the standard measurement, but the metric equivalent is always given in milliliters, unless the volume would be best expressed in liters.
A can of Coke I have here next to me says
12 FL OZ
(355 mL)
I have never seen cL used outside of a science class.
Is the OP sure that the French measures are centiliters? 50 for milliliters for a shot sounds about right. The US shot is usually 2 fl. oz. which is about 60 ml.
Stella Artois (from Belgium) is also sold in cans marked 50cl, whereas brands from the rest of Europe appear to be measured in millilitres. Maybe it’s a Francophone thing?
Ah yes. The OP said a “drink” not a “shot.” Sorry.
In Germany, shots and after-dinnery drinks (like Bailey’s and such) were commonly done in cL. I forget how many it was, but it was a low number, like 5 or 6.
I’ve just checked an Australian red I have here, and it too says 75cl. But beer cans are definitely marked in ml.
Yes, restaurant menus have carafes of wine in 25, 50, and 75 cl. Beer also comes in 25 and 50 cl sizes. A buddy of mine and I finished a six-pack of Kronenbourg 1664 beer in 25 cl bottles.
Okay, how did you get yourselves into the 25 cl bottles?
OK, Groucho, that’ll do.
:d
Let me guess.
You paid the equivalent of $1.00/L!
It was $1.oo/L in Geneva in 1958.
that was supposed to be 
but let’s just say :d is Groucho’s cigar smilie!
Belgian beer bottles seem to generally be labelled in mL, but the glassware has a Plimsol line marked in centiliters.
It must be labelled differently for export to Europe. I drink a lot of Australian wine and I’ve never seen it marked in anything but ml (bottles) or l (casks).
It is most likely exported in bulk and bottled here.
It always amazes me when I ask for something in centimetres and just get a blank look and then the assertation that they only ‘do’ millimetres.
In Hungary, drink sizes were generally described in deciliters, with 3, 4, and 5 decis being the most common.
When I spent a month in Budapest they measured servings (opp. whole bottles) in decilitres. 2 dL is a fairly large glass of wine, a little over a quarter of a bottle. 1 dL is the rough equivalent of our “shot”.