I posted about this a few months ago; they always used to have water, OJ and the fizz as a pre departure drink but then dropped the water - I have no idea why as I’m pretty sure it was the most popular option. As you say; crew now just tell you to drink the bottle which is annoying as I prefer to keep that for in-flight. Like you, I had a 250ml bottle on my recent departure from DXB whereas it always used to be 500ml.

What is the world coming to when you can’t get a glass of water in business class? A colleague I was travelling with insisted on a glass on a recent flight and the cabin crew huffed and puffed and told him she’d get it for him “when she has a moment” and then reiterated there was a bottle in the seat - needless to say the glass of water never materialised. Pretty ridiculous “cost cutting” to take away the water. I now make sure I buy an 750ml bottle from the airport before boarding. Appalling.