Hi Friends,
I'm back!
Five weeks. Portugal, Spain, and extra time with family in New Jersey & NYC. The first time in my life I actually turned off.
I told my clients I was going dark. I packed my laptop out of habit and never opened it once. Every few days I turned to Zohra and said the same thing. "Isn't it crazy I haven't opened my laptop?"
None of it happens without her. Or without our family in New Jersey, who took the girls so the two of us could be two people again instead of parents.
And nothing broke. My clients are still here. Allenix is doing well. More on that next week.
But the story I keep coming back to is Peter, a bar owner in Lisbon who reminded me what great strategy looks like.
Did someone forward this email to you? Click here to subscribe so you don't miss out on future issues.
Where We Went
Zohra and I rented a car and just drove.
Porto. Pastéis de nata every morning.
Douro Valley. The most beautiful place we have ever visited.
Braga and Guimarães. Medieval towns. Bom Jesus, wow.
Nazaré. The red lighthouse, bucket list checked.
Óbidos. A night in an unforgettable library hotel.
Coimbra. University town buzzing with students.
Cascais. Beach town vibes, more great seafood.
Sintra. Fairy tale palaces in fog.
Lisbon. Where this story begins.
Porto
Douro Valley
We closed the trip with a week in Spain. Seville, Madrid, Barcelona. Seville hit 108 degrees and stayed there into the night. Spain was hot.
We enjoyed Spain, but Portugal won. The weather, the cost, the scenery, the seafood, the people. One of the best places we have ever been.
Somewhere along the way, I had my first flat white. The utter embarrassment that a 39 years old just learned it existed. The perfect ratio of espresso to milk. One sip and I was annoyed. I bought a Breville Barista Express and now have one every morning.
The Evening at Onda
On our last stretch in Portugal, Zohra and I walked into a Lisbon bar called Onda. Behind the counter was Peter O'Connor, an Irishman who served me the best cocktail experience of my life.
Onda Cocktail Room in Lisbon
I had no idea who I was standing across from. Peter is famous in the cocktail world. Born in Dublin, he became a Master of Whiskey for Diageo, trained over 400 bars, hotels, and restaurants around the world, and appeared on episodes of Jon Taffer's Bar Rescue as the whiskey and cocktail expert.
In September 2019, Peter flew into Lisbon for a few days. 48 hours off the plane, he bought a bar at the top of a hill in the Graça neighborhood, overlooking the city. He named it Onda, Portuguese for wave. He told me his whole philosophy is to ride the wave and take life as it comes.
He runs the place with his lovely wife Joana, who has an equivalent career and loves the craft as much as he does. They greet every guest with an old Irish idea, Céad Míle Fáilte. A hundred thousand welcomes. And there is real strategy inside the charm.
Peter and Joana
The cocktail room is maybe 800 square feet. I asked Peter if he has a food menu. He looked at me and smiled. "Ali, this is a cocktail bar." That was the whole answer. Everything in that room exists for the drink in front of you.
And you can taste the focus. I have watched a lot of bartenders. I had never seen one take restaurant flavor and turn it into a cocktail that actually tasted really good.
Peter at work
Then came the moment I keep replaying. I told him one of my favorite bites of the trip was a chilled mango and cucumber soup we had in Douro Valley. Before I could finish describing it, he was already moving. Like a mad scientist, he rebuilt the dish as a drink right in front of me. Mango, cucumber, some infused alcohol I can’t recall, and a hit of jalapeño that made it better than the dish.
It hit me instantly, I was at the best cocktail bar in the world.
Generous and Unique
For years I have defined great strategy in two words: Generous and unique.
Pour your soul into something you give a shit about and give people more than they expect. Be the only one who does what you do. Most businesses pick neither, and they end up pleasant and forgettable.
Peter is both. I felt the hundred thousand welcomes. I drank a Thai curry cocktail and a perfectly clear & transparent cocktail that tasted like Fruity Pebbles milk, which I still think was sorcery.
Ta Krai Mao
Vodka, green chilli, lemongrass, galangal, lime leaf, coconut (Wowza)
Peter pulled me behind the bar to make drinks with him. I told him my favorite Dolly Parton line. "Figure out who you are, and do it on purpose." It resonated. I told him how cool it was to watch someone actually live it.
The man trained the best bars in the world, then chose one small room in Lisbon and put his whole self into it.
Pennyroyal Tea
Tanqueray gin, passion fruit, mango, pennyroyal soda, sparkling wine
Tommy's Smokey Margarita
The Lost Explorer 8yo Mezcal, Tequila, triple sec, lime, agave, olive wood smoke
Peter did not overthink any of it. He bought a bar at first sight, named it after a life mantra, and kept it stupidly simple. Do what you are meant to do. Be a craftsman. Serve drinks. Welcome everyone like family. Make something no one else can. And enjoy the hell out of your life while you do it.
Sitting there watching him work, I kept thinking the same thing. Peter doesn't give a shit about AI and its future implications. And why would he? Everything the rest of us are chasing with it, the freedom, the craft, the life on his own terms, he already has.
A bar owner 5,000 miles from Houston reminded me of the two words I already believed. Great strategy is generous and unique.
Thank you, Peter and Joana. We will see you soon.
‘Til next time,
--Ali
P.S. If you ever land in Lisbon, going to Onda in mandatory. Let Peter make you whatever he wants. Tell him Ali from Houston sent you.
About Me: I am Ali Mamujee. I help B2B founders make more money. I am the CEO of Allenix, where I help a few startups I admire build badass revenue systems that scale. Currently nursing a Douro withdrawal one flat white at a time.
