Márcio Silva, Mr. Resilience
Márcio Silva is São Paulo based bar consultant and mentor, formerly partner of Guilhotina Bar and later as host for 3 seasons of Bar Aberto, a TV reality show. He worked with the Better Drinks Company in the creation of Amaro Vermelhão for Brazilian singer Gusttavo Lima, selling over a million bottles.
My interview with Márcio
Márcio, I tried to interview you in 2022 at the Lisbon Bar Show, but it didn’t work out. I believe this was destiny because in the past year you have had many changes in your life. I listened to an emotional speech you gave this year at the Lisbon Bar show to a packed house. There were many teary eyes in the audience, and it was the last appearance of Brazilian bar legend Master Derivan Ferreira de Souza, who passed away in Lisbon just a day after the fair ended. I was so glad to have been there.
How did you get into the bar business?
Gotta start from the beginning… My name is Márcio Silva, I was born in the countryside of the state of Paraná in Brazil, although I was raised in São Paulo. Every school holiday my family went back to the countryside and I always had that direct line to nature and tranquillity. I still remember the smell of the earth, of fresh picked Jaboticabas, the taste of recently cut sugar cane, the familiar smell of family meals dinner being cooked on an old firewood stoves.
I was always in the orchards experiencing new flavors, everything fresh, but what struck me most was the smile on people's faces all day long and how well they knew each other. I was incredibly influenced by their raw and enchanting charisma and their easy-going way of life.
When I was thirteen years old, my father had to change jobs and he started working in a pub and I often went along. I was fascinated by it straight away I paid attention to all the details of the bar.
But being in Brazil was very strange, back in those days I didn't feel like I belonged here, and I always wondered what it would be like to live overseas, in other countries, to open up to new cultures, so when I turned 18, I had the opportunity to move to Europe. I started working in the industry in different bars: it was a great learning experience and it opened a lot of doors for me to meet some great people.
I bounced between many countries and every time I went back to England I fell more and more in love with the bartender movement that was growing exponentially. I remember going to LAB in Soho just to watch the bartenders work and I had the privilege to work alongside those bartenders in London.
Years passed living in Europe and in 2009 I went back to Brasil to develop the bartending program for the opening of SubAstor in São Paulo.
After a few years, I started to feel like an outsider in my own professional culture, I just didn't fit into the Brazilian way of working! I was really feeling down about my career, I was unsure about what I could achieve professionally. But since I started working as a bartender I feel that I can express myself in a way that is truly my own, that translates into a complete guest experience, especially in to cocktails, it’s what I am and what I love. It’s my life!
But I wanted to feel Brazilian, I was delighted with the idea of getting to know my culture, my people and country better. I started traveling all over Brazil, I got involved in a cachaça project, which I had the pleasure to launch the brand all over the world but I was wondering if I could ever fulfil my ambitions and ideas in Brazil and at the same time I was receiving job proposals from abroad.
It got to the point where I wrote to some of my closest friends and mentors in the industry asking for advice because I was genuinely considering leaving Brazil. The positivity and the response from my friends made all the difference to me, and it restored my confidence to stay.
Then in 2016 I decided to open my own bar that I called the Guilhotina. It was a huge success since the beginning and I had the opportunity to showcase my culture to the world by being my own bartender and leading an amazing team of great people.
Three years later the name Guilhotina was huge all over the globe, and in July 2019 I decided to buy my ex partners shares of the business for a variety of reasons. We started the negotiations, as we were 3 with the same proportion of shares in the contract. I was buying their shares but in March 2020 the pandemic hit me hard and I couldn’t afford to buy 66% of the bar anymore.
It was very difficult to sell, the whole process was very stressful, I was very sad and I thought that maybe living in Brazil wasn't really for me.
I opened myself to the world again, I started to receive incredible offers from abroad, but no one knew how long it would take to improve the situation of the pandemic. As I couldn't travel, many things started to happen positively here as well, I became the host of a television show that is a reality show of cocktails for amateurs, the first season was a great success and the second season has just premiered.
I started mentoring many bartenders around the world, especially in Latin America, sending positive messages about our industry, because our industry was suffering a lot in every country. I started doing lots of consulting, but I was dying to travel and I was negotiating some proposals outside of Brazil.
So in June 2021 after selling my bar at the beginning of the pandemic I sarted to receive proposals to work abroad again, including the US. Because of the restrictions in the US, I stopped in Cartegena to spend 15 days with Jean at Alquimico and get to know Alquimico's sustainability project. In the end I didn't even go to the US, I spent a whole month with Jean and the whole Alquimico team and it was very enlightening.
We decided to to a collab Márcio Silva+Alquimico and take a one month Eurotrip since we were fully vaccinated and the restrictions in Europe were better.
The trip was amazing, we attended different cocktail weeks, we did many pop ups in great bars, we did lots of interviews, we visited dozens of bars, we met old friends and we made new friends but it was hard physically and mentally. I had to be constantally focused mentally and emotionally because I had to explain a lot of what happened about my ex-bar.
Then I realized how much I was still hurting-- I was going through the grief of the sale of the bar that didn’t happen in Brazil. There were some nights that I cried at the hotel because I could not understand that feeling. But when I really did, I transmuted the energy because I was seeing and experiencing so much love among friends in the industry that I felt healed.
So I made a clear decision to return to Brazil and stay! I was determined to open a new bar soon, It was scary to do it by myself but I believed that I could contribute and share better things in my country and make it a better place for me and for many people in the near future.
Remember the beggining of my story, what struck me most was the smile on people's faces… I love that and I was determined to make lots of people smile here in Brasil!
Then 2022 arrived...
What happened?
I'm going to cover the period from the beginning of 2022 until May 2023. I was always vulnerable, yet I was surfing a huge wave in my personal and professional life, so I decided to stay in Brazil and open another bar.
But I was wrong about my personal life, it’s started to fall apart, so I fell off the wave, in the bottom of the sea in the turmoil of waves; I hurt myself in the corals, and when I had time to breathe on the surface, another wave came and broke over my head, making me sink and hurt myself more and more, and so another wave and another wave and another wave, but between the waves and being extremely injured, I decided not to give up on myself and the bar industry and in those intervals when I was “catching my breath” I managed to do some pretty cool things.
And your personal life?
I was in a relationship for almost 8 years, I loved my ex very much, but in early 2022 we broke up and I’ve got extremely sad, that's when I said that I fell off the huge wave I was surfing.
We were great companions and I was able to grow a lot sharing my life with Camila.
A lot of things lost their meaning to me, I felt extremely lost, aimless! But I decided to take care of myself in a way that I had never done before in my life.
So I asked for help, started to intensify my therapy sessions, started doing alternative therapies and many other things that could help me to get my feelings-- and my head-- in order.
And what about the business challenges?
In order to take care of myself, I gave up on opening the new bar, despite wanting to continue my journey in the bar industry, I decided to look after myself because I was living a very chaotic moment, I was drinking a lot, and I canceled some work contracts.
In the middle of personal pain, at a certain point, I kept pushing foward. “One day at a time”, I kept saying to myself, following the flow of life and then, I became partner at Better Drinks Company and started a new journey as an innovation consultant for alcoholic products and I kept following the flow of life.
That's when I had the chance to develop Amaro Vermelhão for the singer Gusttavo Lima. After the great success of launching Amaro Vermelhão, I started choosing new projects.
But my pain didn’t go away and I remember many days when I was crying, having anxiety attacks and panic attacks, and in these moments I doubted myself a lot.
And you had some health concerns, too…
Of all the stress I was going through, it started to reflect on my physical health and I spent the whole month of April getting exams in clinics and hospitals, because I felt my vision was getting weak.
On April 30th, I received a diagnosis of a degenerative eye disease. It shook me a lot, I spent the whole day and night thinking about it!
The doctor made it very clear that if I didn't improve my lifestyle, sleep, diet and reduce stress, I would go blind in both eyes very quickly.
So I started to change my old habits!
And I decided to be open to the world with my feelings and stay close to the people that really matter so I went to the 2022 Lisbon Bar Show to see my friends in May.
When we met and you asked me to do the interview I said yes, but when I returned to Brazil, despite all the love I received in Lisbon, I still couldn't write anything with so many drastic changes happening in my life at the same time!
Months went by, I was taking care of myself, I was feeling stronger, I was working, travelling again and suddenly I started to feel pain in the cervical spine. I went to do a job in Colombia in November, I had to do a talk in Bogotá, Medellin and Catagena and on my second day of the trip, while I was working in Bogotá, I felt a sharp pain in my neck and on that day, I started to lose feeling in my right arm.
But continued the trip, I went to a clinic in Medellin, I started taking a lot of painkillers, I arrived in Cartagena and I couldn't take the pain anymore, I delivered the job, and I got back to São Paulo and I went to the hospital, that's when I heard the expression "neural pain" for the first time.
I found out that because of the stress, my vertebrae were pinching the brachial nerve, the pain was so horrible that I took morphine, and I found out the hard way that I am allergic to morphine. After that I started an intensive treatment of opioids and physiotherapy with Pilates.
Then, silence.
January 2023 arrives and I decided to go to a silent retreat. I spent 10 days away from the world and when I come back I lost two work contracts that permitted me to live comfortably in São Paulo, and worse yet, my mother gets extremely sick.
I kept pushing forward. Taking care of myself, taking care of my mom and working because I had started dipping heavily into my emergency bank account.
I went to Chile to do a talk at this beautiful event called Çhile em uma Copa” alongside great friends from the world industry and they put me to close the cycle of lectures.
I listened to this samba music “Não deixe o samba morrer” Don’t let the samba die! This song touched my heart, it talks about an old samba man leaving a message for new sambista to continue with the legacy of samba.
So I decided to talk about my legacy, my history, the loves, the pains that I felt, and that maybe I would continue to feel, but I would not let the industry that lives in me die.
At the end of my presentation, the vast majority of people in the audience were emotional, their eyes were filled with tears and I managed to deeply touch the hearts of those people. I felt grateful for that unique chance after more than 20 years in the worldwide industry and I felt the strength to carry on.
On my way to the 10th anniversary of La Factoria bar in Puerto Rico, my mother died. And yet another wave crashed over my head.
The pain – FUCK, the sadness – FUCK! I couldn't make it back in time for the funeral in Brazil so after conferring with my family, I decided to stay in Puerto Rico.
There I was very well taken care of and advised by great friends who are part of my family in the industry and I saw how fortunate I really am to have not given up. And one day, after a heavy rain, I looked out at the sea and saw a big rainbow, a sign, and looking at the view, I promised my mother that I would live the best life I could live to honor her for the gift of life that I have.
So I improved my presentation with new projects I have and I got to speak at the Lisbon Bar Show in 2023.
After all these challenges, I see you smiling so brightly and giving the best hugs. How have these challenges changed your outlook?
I always say the food and beverage industry is a people’s industry! And, as I said before I promised my mother that I would live the best life I could live to honor her.
I am still working on me! I am still taking care of myself and being diligent but I definitely became more empathetic, every day I feel that I improve my humanity and if I can be a conductor of energy to spread sparks of happiness to the world, it will be through my purpose.
How are you dealing with your health issue, both physically and psychologically?
I still continue with my therapy sessions, I continue with alternative therapies like reiki for example.
Every 3 months I do a physical checkup to find out about my eye disease; the degenerative disease is under control.
I've been working a lot on my emotional intelligence, I'm focused on my projects and work in Brazil and overseas and I've also been learning a lot more about affective responsibility-- an exercise in empathy.
What have you decided to leave behind in your life, and what have you taken up new in your life?
I improved my habits a lot, despite being part of the alcoholic beverage industry, today I drink more consciously and with better quality.
I am sleeping better, I am eating better and I am breathing better. I learned to respect the limits of my body and I learned to say NO, despite always being open to various opportunities that I have.
Community is very important for you, how can you use your vast network for good works?
Being myself, using my power in the industry to share moments of joy, happiness, knowledge and of course hugging everyone with a lot of love.
Are you mentoring anyone at the moment? Do you have any special person you mentored that has become a big success?
Here in Latin America, we all help each other in many ways, a lot by exchanging knowledge about our work, we mentoring each other a lot, and with this union of mentoring, we become a great success in the world.
Here in Brazil I am still mentoring bartenders who are doing a great job in the Brazilian market.
What is your opinion on the role of women in the bar industry, specifically in Brazil?
I love it! Here there are incredible women who do great work. I'm a big fan of their work in the industry and I hope more women can be a more integral part of a new generation.
What is your next big thing? Someone told me about an Amazonian spiced rum set to launch…. What is Amazonian rum?
I am finalizing, alongside my partner Alexandre Mazza (founder and former owner of Amázzoni gin), the formula for the first super premium "Amazonian Spiced Rum" in the world, which already has a worldwide launch scheduled for the first quarter of 2024. Stay tuned!
Also, I am partner of a new business in the Locale Caffe in São Paulo.
The drink you are featuring is Pindorama Cocktail, what’s the story of this?
In april2023, I was contacted by Tom Wheeler the founder of the Sinchi Foundation and his movement called Treesistance. He asked me to be a part of the project and create a cocktail for the launch of the movement in order to involve different groups. Watch the YouTube video here. (the cocktail is at the very end).
Pindorama cocktail
The recipe:
50 ml infused cachaça
30 ml fresh pineapple juice
15 ml orgeat syrup
25 ml fresh lime juice
7 dashes of aromatic bitter
Cachaça infused with annatto powder
Mix 750 ml of cachaça with 5 grams of annatto powder. Leave to infuse for 24 hours. Then filter through a super bag or coffee filter and store in a bottle
Shake all ingredeients in a cocktail shaker.
Fine strain into a rock class with ice cubes.
Garnish with a mint sprig.
They say, to realize your dreams, you need to manifest, say it out loud to others. Are there other new projects that you would like to manifest here to make them come true?
My best and biggest project that I am manifesting every day is to keep taking care of myself and live the best life possible, personally and professionally speaking.
Five questions for Márcio
Your greatest achievement?
It is yet to come!
What would you like to do over?
Open another bar and highlight Brazil to the world once again.
Are you hard or easy on yourself?
I've been treating myself very, very well! Not hard at all!
Which is more important to you, romantic love or universal love?
Universal love.
If you were a bar tool, which one would you be?
At this moment, a filter, I'm still filtering what works and what doesn't work in my life these days.