Meet Elsa Leblanc, mixologist

Beaubleu Ambassador, Elsa Leblanc is a mixologist. Passionate about the world of cocktails, she evolved alongside brilliant professionals in Paris before returning to live in the south of France, the region she grew up. She moved to Marseille three years ago to create her brand of draft cocktails and kombuchas: Zéma .

Having always been interested in gastronomy, Elsa first evolved as an analyst within several start-ups in the French FoodTech ecosystem. It was in 2018 that she left office life to immerse herself in the world of cocktails and work behind the bar. She says she learned a lot from the teams of Margot Lecarpentier, one of the most fashionable mixologists in the capital and founder of the Combat bar located on rue de Belleville in the 19th arrondissement in Paris.

Leaving Paris for Marseille with the desire to found her own establishment, Elsa quickly abandoned this idea to rethink her project around events. She continues the missions by carrying out tailor-made workshops for professionals and individuals. She shines alongside chefs and creates cocktails for brands and events in well-known Marseille venues such as the Bunker des Calanques, the Brasserie Victor, the Epicerie l'Idéal, the restaurant Le Parpaing qui Flotte, the Apotek cocktail bar or the We Are Ona agency to name just a few.

From these various experiences was born Zéma, his company specializing in the creation of tailor-made draft cocktails packaged in barrels, and kombuchas, non-alcoholic fermented drinks with a thousand and one virtues. “Zéma means cauldron or decoction in ancient Greek. The name honors the elders who passed on their know-how to us in transforming plants and fruits to compose aromatic and powerful beverages” explains Elsa. Being as close as possible to the products, meeting producers, selecting, learning, testing, mixing tastes and flavors…

Elsa lives at 100 miles an hour. From morning to evening, she is on all fronts, does not count her hours, is teeming with ideas and projects to help Zéma grow. “That’s the life of an entrepreneur! I'm more of a race against time during my work days. The hours go by at crazy speed, I'm constantly chasing time but I love putting in so much!” she says with a smile on her lips.

Just like in watchmaking, mixology is a field in which creativity, precision, but also sharing, intertwine. Elsa is keen to promote this liquid “gastronomy” by creating cocktails rich in original and surprising flavors. She experiments, playing with textures, colors and flavors to create cocktails that are real experiences for the taste buds and the eyes. Measurement, precision, technical and aesthetic know-how are essential to guarantee the final balance. So many shared values with watchmaking…

Elsa recognizes herself in Beaubleu. She shares with the brand and its founder Nicolas Ducoudert-Pham a pronounced taste for creation and the constant exploration of new ideas. “Beaubleu is Nicolas’s life project, a project in which he has put all his soul and which goes beyond a watch brand. It’s an entire universe designed around aesthetics and design. I would even go so far as to say that this is Nicolas’s vision of the world” she says.

Elsa wears the Union Olympe model released in 2020, the first Beaubleu with a diameter of 39 mm which fits perfectly on her thin wrist. A watch that she explains she chose completely instinctively and that she has not taken off since. A watch whose cream dial, the rose gold color and the case alternating polished and micro-grained surfaces on which the light reflects wonderfully.

Nicolas approached Elsa and gave her carte blanche to make a cocktail for Beaubleu. “I wanted to represent French heritage through this cocktail. So I went with Cognac from Maison Martell, which is, for the record, our favorite spirit with Nicolas. I combined it with Jura wine and homemade quince syrup from the south of France. The result is a delicate, fruity, floral mix with a low alcohol content and therefore easy to drink. The idea was also to bring an extra touch of pep through the sparkling side, and thus recall Champagne creations. The bubbles for the festive and elegant side but also again a little nod to Nicolas who completed part of his studies in Reims” carefully details Elsa.

This is how the “Frenchy” was born, a sparkling cocktail imbued with the very essence of Beaubleu. A beverage to be enjoyed with or without moderation which represents creation, between tradition and modernity, and is an echo of audacity and hedonism. Cheers!

Photo credit: Elsa Leblanc