Alfredo Climaco, owner of the popular Northeast Portland cocktail bar Tropicale, has died of complications from COVID-19, according to family and friends. He was 32.
Last July, Climaco made the jump from a roving piña colada stand known for serving iced drinks in hollowed out shells at festivals throughout the city to a brick-and-mortar bar in The Ocean micro restaurant development at 2337 N.E. Glisan St and quickly drew fans.
Climaco had dreams of expanding his bar into a “growing cocktail empire,” according to a statement on a GoFundMe page set up to pay for funeral and medicals costs by Climaco’s sister, Vivi Climaco-Reyes.
“Alfredo’s generosity was bottomless,” the statement reads. “He loved making people feel happy and welcome. He worked hard to make Tropicale a friendly, inviting and inclusive escape for all.”
According to Eater PDX, which wrote about Climaco’s death Wednesday, the bar is currently closed as family and coworkers grieve.
Climaco, who previously went by Alfredo Reyes (he switched surnames to honor his mother, who lives in Mexico), began working at a young age. Born in Puebla, a city of more than 1.5 million people about 80 miles southeast of Mexico City, he took a job working for a butcher and carnitas vendor at 9 years old, working from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. His first bartending job was at a nightclub at age 17. He moved to the United States in 2010.
He founded Mexirican, the Pacific Northwest’s “first mobile Caribbean bar” as a table set up at Portland Mercado in 2015, with a name designed in part to honor his Puerto Rican best friend, Ignacio Falcon. Two years later, Mexirican’s piña coladas made enough of a splash at 2017′s Cinco de Mayo Fiesta that Climaco decided to devote his attentions to the business full-time. Soon, Mexirican was appearing at 45 festivals and street fairs each year.
“The company was founded on the inspiration of two cultures, Mexico and Puerto Rico,” Climaco told The Oregonian/OregonLive last year. “I really am dedicated to expressing the beauty of both places through the drinks.”