Alfredo Climaco, the Owner of New Cocktail Bar Tropicale, Has Died
Climaco known for his warmth, determination, and lively cocktails died from complications related to COVID-19
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Christine Dong / Official
Alfredo Climaco, the owner of the new Latin American cocktail bar Tropicale, has died of complications related to coronavirus. Climaco had just opened Tropicale, his first brick-and-mortar bar, last year. He was 32.
Climaco was raised in Puebla, Mexico, where he developed a love for bartending and service. In an August conversation, he recalled memories of drinking piña coladas out of hollowed out pineapples as a teenager, which became one of his signature drinks as a bar owner and bartender. He started working at a nightclub at 17, where he learned the basics of bartending. “I fell in love with certain aspects of the service industry,” he said in August. “I like how rewarding it is to make people feel happy.”
NE Portland bar Tropicale’s owner, Alfredo Climaco, dies from COVID-19 complications
Updated Jan 27, 2021;
Posted Jan 27, 2021
Alfredo Climaco, who formerly ran the Mexirican pop-up (pictured here), opened Tropicale bar last year.Courtesy of Mexirican
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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.
Updated January 27 Alfredo Climaco, who opened the vibrant cocktail bar Tropicale on Northeast Glisan Street just six months ago, died yesterday at age 32. The cause of death was COVID-19, according to a post on the business s Facebook page. Climaco became a favorite presence at events like the Portland Night Market and other assorted street fairs by selling piña coladas in hollowed-out pineapples. In 2020, he made the jump from cart to brick-and-mortar, in a space with coral walls, open-weave pendant lights and a mural of a Mexican cliff diver making his leap along one wall. Although Climaco was known for his piña coladas, he also had a passion for mezcal and kept one of the finest collections in Portland at his bar. He developed his passion for the smoky spirit thanks to his father, who grew up in Oaxaca, Mexico, the mezcal capital of the world. Climaco was raised in the neighboring state of Puebla, and the two would make trips to Oaxaca in order to work their way thro