Is the alcohol at Sharm el-Sheikh all-inclusive hotels any good?

Bartenders are often rude or simply ignore requests for beer. Official pours are limited to just a couple of bottles per day for all guests, but you can pay extra (about $2) to get cold beer outside the regular allotment.

Hotels don't actually serve champagne. If you see someone drinking what looks like sparkling wine, it's usually white wine mixed with soda water at the bar.

Among spirits, whiskey with cola is considered a reasonably drinkable option — everything else besides beer is described as very poor quality.

Empty bottles at the bar are collected separately with labels scratched off. The restaurant bar pours drinks from plastic containers — local brands. No reports of illness or bad after-effects.

Beer may be limited to one cup per person at a time, which feels very restrictive in the heat. Shortages of beer, cola, or Sprite are also reported from time to time.

Most hotels serve local low-to-mid range alcohol brands. Those who know their way around Egyptian spirits tend to buy their own from the Drinkies liquor store chain.

The spirits at hotel bars taste bad — not dangerous, just unpleasant. Beer is the safest bet. Wine is acceptable in some hotels, but only if served from bottles — tetra-pack wine is generally awful.

Hotel cocktails are heavily watered down — you can barely taste the alcohol. If beer or weak cocktails are fine for you, it's manageable. Anyone who cares about drink quality will be disappointed.