INGERSOLL– What’s now the name of a bar set to open downtown here next week is rooted in a virtual meeting between friends trying to stay connected during a COVID-19 lockdown.
Five years ago when the virus was circulating and Simon Savard, 33, and Scott Van Schyndel, 34, were unable to meet in person with their friends, they moved their hangouts online. Fast forward to now, and the name of those online meetups is written on a storefront along Ingersoll’s main strip: the Scotch and Ponder.
“The idea was five guys get together, get three bottles each that we pick, and we split them five ways in little sample bottles (and) get them all shipped out however we had to do it,” Savard said of the 2020 Zoom meet-ups.
“We would talk, whatever’s going on around that time, and that’s where the ponder came from . . . we did a scotch and a ponder. And Scott coined the name at some point. And we were all like: “Yep, that’s what we’re going to call it.’”
The Scotch and Ponder will open its doors as an actual in-person establishment with a public grand opening set for Feb. 12.
It’s not a sports bar and is intended to be different, Van Schyndel said. The pair wants to offer unique drinks unavailable elsewhere while creating a distinct atmosphere, he said.
“We don’t have TVs, we don’t serve domestic beers,” Van Schyndel said. “(Beer is) craft or premium imports . . . things like that, stuff that’s not readily available at some of the local establishments.”
With no cooking on-site but a mandate to serve food with alcohol, Savard and Van Schyndel are providing edible options such as charcuterie, cheeses, antipasti and olives, but they’re also hoping to collaborate with local eateries to potentially host specialized occasions like a wing night and chocolate tastings.
As stated in the sign out front, it’ll offer a wide selection of scotches. The stock is at about 30, Savard said, but the objective is to expand the collection “quickly,” also noting an aim to host scotch tastings for patrons.
Van Schyndel said diversifying the cocktail menu is also a goal to “provide that as a unique kind of value.”
Savard and Van Schyndel purchased the vacant downtown Ingersoll building at 169 Thames St. S. in January 2021. At the time, a bar wasn’t necessarily in their plans.
“(We) got tired of seeing boarded up buildings on the street, and wanted to do something really special, and something that would bring people to the downtown,” Van Schyndel said.
Scotch and Ponder’s opening coincides with an initiative by Ingersoll – a growing Oxford County town of about 14,000 – to enhance its downtown core. The community is in the midst of a downtown enhancement plan, designed to “strengthen the future of the downtown core,” officials said previously.
“The town means a lot, and we wanted to be part of the revitalization of downtown,” Van Schyndel said.
bwilliams@postmedia.com
THE SCOTCH AND PONDER
When: Grand opening on Feb 12.
Where: 169 Thames St. S. in Ingersoll.
Hours: Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Fridays from 4 p.m. to midnight; Saturdays from 2 p.m. to midnight; Sundays from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.
