What chemical properties of ethanol make it usable for drinks as compared to that of methanol?
The problem arises from the metabolized products of methanol. Methanol oxidizes in the liver by an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase to formaldehyde which is further metabolized to formic acid by another enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase. This formic acid is the source for acute toxicity associated with methanol poisoning. Accumulation of this chemical in the blood deprives cells of oxygen by inhibiting the enzyme cytochrome c oxidase in their mitochondria, a key element of the respiratory electron transport chain.
Formic acid, together with formaldehyde, are responsible for nerve damage, blindness, and other unpleasant effects associated with methanol poisoning.

Note that ethanol is also metabolized in the same way by the same pair of enzymes to ultimately form acetic acid but human can tolerate acetic acid to an extent because it is less toxic compared to formic acid and thus can be consumed like for example, vinegar. In fact, ethanol is used as a remedy for methanol poisoning as it acts as a competitive inhibitor by more effectively binding and saturating the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme in the liver, thus blocking the binding of methanol with the enzyme rendering it useless.
References

https://theskepticalchemist.com/methanol-toxic-ethanol/ (above reaction source)
https://metode.org/metodes-whys-and-wherefores/why-can-we-drink-ethanol-but-not-methanol.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanol_toxicity