In this sentence, "a countless number of standard drinks" means that the brandy balloon (a large glass typically used for serving brandy) contained so much alcohol that it was difficult to measure or count how many "standard drinks" it equaled. - A standard drink is a measure of alcohol content (used to gauge responsible drinking). - Here, the glass is so full of brandy that it far exceeds the usual serving size, making it impossible to estimate how many standard drinks are in it. She was holding a very large glass of brandy with so much alcohol that it was hard to measure. Every time she raised it for a toast, some of the drink spilled over the edge of the glass. To better understand writing like this, focus on key phrases: - "A countless number" = too many to count. - "Standard drinks" = units of alcohol used to measure drinking levels. This way, you can break down complex sentences into smaller, clearer ideas.

The phrase "a countless number of standard drinks" here is a bit exaggerated for effect. It doesn't literally mean there are infinite drinks; instead, it's emphasizing that the amount of alcohol in the brandy balloon is far more than a typical serving or "standard drink" (a measure of alcohol content, such as one glass of wine, one beer, or one shot of spirits). In this context, the writer is humorously or critically pointing out that the drink is absurdly large, and it’s as though it contains so much alcohol that it’s hard to quantify. It adds a bit of humor or exaggeration to paint a vivid picture of the scene.

"Countless" is not a scientific word. Treat it and its countless(!) synonyms as loose terms meaning "a very large number". My own favorite is "many many". I learned this one from a birdwatching guide who divided bird species into five categories: "very rare", "rare", "few", "many", and "many many".