The Yachtsman, Tommy Up and Sarah Brown’s highly anticipated tiki bar on Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, is just about ready to shove off on its maiden voyage. The official opening is expected to come on (or soon after) Thursday, August 14.

But in the meantime, you can get a sneak peek of The Yatchsman’s Polynesian props and sip some of its cocktails as it leaves port for a few days on a soft-launch voyage.

From Friday, August 8 until Sunday, August 10, Up, Brown and the all-star team of bartenders they’ve enlisted to man the good-ship Yachtsman, will serve up daily previews of what’s to come. Each day, the bar will open at 6 PM and offer a limited selection of drinks until they run out of ingredients. It will close up shop again on Monday, reopen on Wednesday with a private party for its Kickstarter backers, and then, if all systems are a go, it will set sail for its maiden voyage on Thursday.

What to expect? The bar itself, constructed of thatched grass, reclaimed wood, and assorted flotsam and jetsam that will transport guests to exotic ports of call in the South Seas, seats between 12 and 15. Small high-top tables and barstools will accommodate another dozen or so, while the semi-private Pineapple Room in the back will seat 8 to 10 more. All told, The Yachtsman maxes out at about 50.

Phoebe Esmon and Christian Gaal, who tend bar at Up and Brown’s NoLibs cocktail parlor, Emmanuelle, created the 13 drinks on The Yachtsman's menu. They range from classics from the canon of Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic’s cocktails to wholly original creations evocative of America’s mid-century fascination with tiki culture.

Classics include things like a Pina Colada for two served in a hollowed out pineapple; a Mai Tai with a split base of Rhum Agricole and Jamaican rum, a la Trader Vic’s; Meetinghouse Punch that’s one of two drinks that will served on tap via Cornelius kegs; and Bird of Paradise, a cross between a Ramos and a Clover Club with raspberry, heavy cream, egg and gin. 

Esmon and Gaal originals include the Bahia Bikini Bottom, Cabana Cachaca, Damon liqueur, Blue Caracao, lemon and coconut creme; and St. Elmo’s Fire, rum, Creme de Mure, and Blue Caracao garnished with a flaming lime husk.

The drink options also include four “large format” options — they can’t decide whether to call them Scorpion Bowls or Volcano Bowls — two cocktails on tap, eight beers on draft and a small list of bottles and cans. Esmon says that everything from the coconut creme to the orgeat will be made in house. 

The Yachtsman, 1444 Frankford Ave., 267-251-3234, www.yachtsmanbar.com

Photos: Drink Philly