Rainier Crespo

Editor’s Note: This article represents the return of The Hand That Feeds You series which ran in various 2015- 2016 issues of EdibleOKC. It will focus on the cooks, bartenders, servers, and staff that make Oklahoma City’s food scene run a little better. Nominate someone that doesn’t usually make the limelight by emailing details and contact information to editor@edibleokc.com. Enjoy.

“You put the booze in the cups.”

That is the mantra of Rainier Crespo. It is accurate, but also over-simplifies the craft and his skill. As a long-time bartender at The Pump and Bunker Club, he’s one of the most versatile bartenders in Oklahoma City. If you’ve visited either institution, you’ll recognize him by his broad smile, flowing dark hair, and friendliness. He’s a longtime friend of mine and trained me when I entered the industry as a barback.

To catch up, we sat at one of the golden glittery booths of the Bunker Club, a place he's worked since its opening and for which he develops drinks. Action Bronson played in the background while we talked about his path.

Rain (that’s my nickname for him) was raised by immigrant parents. His father grew up in Los Teques, Venezuela; his mother in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. They met at Oklahoma City University, both on different paths. His father ended up here because he was looking for a college and was shown a map of America. The state of Oklahoma was represented by a horse, an animal he was fond of. Rain’s mother lived in a border town and went to school in Texas before attending OCU.

Rain ended up at their alma mater to get a degree as a jazz bassist. The element of improvisation learned in jazz informs his approach to creating original and custom cocktails. “Music’s been a part of my life for a long time. Frankly, that’s what really helped me fall in love with bartending, it was another creative outlet,” he tells me. “I have a lot of fun with those customers who give me some free reign, especially when they have a bit of situational awareness. If I’m getting slammed on a Friday night, it’s a little harder to do that. But if you come in during happy hour and I have four guests and I’m more or less twiddling my thumbs, absolutely, I want to come up with something for you.”

It can take a bit of magic trying to figure out what a guest is going to enjoy. You're working with a lot of knowledge about the spirits and ingredients and how they will interact, but there is also the psychological aspect of determining what patrons want versus what they will actually enjoy. Some people want a specific kind of beer, while others just want a Tito’s and soda. But the cocktail crowd can be pretty finicky.

“I do the ‘ask them how they like their coffee’ trick, see how sweet they like to drink things,” Rain explains. “You’d be surprised how many people say ‘I don’t like sweet drinks’ and then order a Jack and Coke. Okay, here’s your hundred grams of sugar!”

There’s a stereotype of cocktail bartenders these days. Many expect them to be pretentious enough to put your twenty dollar old fashioned underneath a glass dome and shoot it with a smoking gun. But Rain doesn't judge you or what you order. All he wants is to serve you with friendly hospitality and pour you up a beverage you’ll enjoy. He can make you something complex or the simplest one-and-one (bar slang for a drink with two ingredients) and is never fussy.

Rainier came up through the industry from the bottom floor. His first job was washing dishes at an IHOP. He worked at an Arby’s, then got a job in the kitchen of The Pump. After barbacking there and at Savings & Loan (where he mentored me, may it rest in peace), he started bartending.

Now, he’s one of the primary bartenders at both The Pump and Bunker Club and responsible for creating many of their seasonal cocktails, including the tiki drinks.

Tiki is an interesting segment of booze because it’s a collision of cultures. It can be intimidating for many bartenders because the drinks often involve many ingredients, fresh fruit, intricate garnishes, and a depth of knowledge. That complexity intrigued Rain, however, and pulled him into learning the style.

“It was fun to play with rum. It was fun to make drinks I could imagine having on the beach or on a cruise, those happy vibes. I generally have a fun and carefree attitude doing tiki, so I like to try to do that as much as possible.”

If you pop into the Bunker Club on a Tiki Tuesday, you’re likely to see at least one of his original creations on the menu. He has the ability to produce drinks that can be sweet and tropical, but also spicy and daring. That’s the challenge of tiki, and Rain’s taken it by the horns.

At the end of the day, he’s a natural behind the stick and has a zen quality when he’s shaking a drink, dealing with an unruly customer, or burning the well when a glass breaks in the ice. “At a bar, I feel really at home and there’s a limited set of problems. I’ve come to a point where I understand all of the solutions to them.”

In the bartender scene, many are cocky about what they’re doing. For all the education and experience Rainier Crespo has gathered, he’s consistently humble about his abilities. But you can find few better in Oklahoma City. The best advice I’ve ever received came from him: “You put the booze in the cups.”