A citrus beverage with carbonated water is often served with meals in Italy, but, despite the large number of Italian restaurants in Las Vegas, Napolitan and Vultaggio could not find a similar product here.

Both are longtime Las Vegas residents and are familiar with the local market. Vultaggio started out selling shirts at kiosks in casinos and Napolitan, a graduate of Western High School, has worked in the construction industry for most of his career.

Both are Italian-Americans and they wanted a beverage that would bring the flavors they experienced in Italy to this country.

A lot of guys would have just suggested to owners of their favorite Italian restaurants that they try to find a local distributor to import the beverage.

Napolitan and Vultaggio went in another direction.

Embracing the entrepreneurial spirit that seems almost common in Las Vegas businessmen, they decided the best way to get such a product was to make it themselves.

"We knew what we wanted it to taste like, so we thought we were the best guys to do it," Vultaggio said.

They contacted some chemists and scientists in Italy to formulate the actual flavor of the soda.

"It was a little tough at first," Napolitan admits. "We knew what we wanted it to taste like, but we're not chemists or soda makers, so we didn't know how to explain it to the guys that were."

After 18 months of trial and error, which included shipping several samples from Italy, they finally hit on the recipe they were looking for, and Chrome soda was born.

They describe the finished product, Chrome Citrus Blitz, as a carbonated fruitful citrus beverage that incorporates soft drink ingredients and natural fruit flavors.

The innovative label, with a fingerprint logo and "touch it" tagline, is designed to encourage consumer interaction. The name was picked because of its mainstream appeal.

"We bounced a lot of names around, but Chrome just seems to be very current, it has a style to it," Vultaggio said. "Finer things are detailed in chrome."

The product made its debut at a Super Bowl party at the Mirage and was introduced to consumers on March 1. In addition to the Mirage, it is available at the Monte Carlo and local 7-Eleven stores. The group also has a distributor in Kansas City, Kan., which has begun targeting that market.

Chrome Citrus Blitz is sold in cases of 24 to retailers and by the bottle to consumers. The retail price is $1.99 to $3.50, depending on whether it is purchased in a store or a restaurant.

The initial response, Vultaggio says, has been better than expected, with sales of 38,000 bottles per month after just three months on the market.

"I think one of the appealing things to the casinos is how it mixes with alcohol," Vultaggio said. "That was almost by accident. We were going for a high-end soda, but the citrus blends made a great marriage with alcohol."

The most popular mix is with vodka, Vultaggio says, but the company's Web site (chromedrinks.com) has a link that suggests other mixes.

One misconception is that Chrome Citrus Blitz is an energy drink. Vultaggio said the confusion probably stems from the name, the packaging and because most beverages introduced in recent years have been energy drinks.

"Just about everything that has come to the market has been an energy drink, but this is an all-natural, clear, citrus product," Vultaggio said.

Celebrities who endorse the product were chosen to demonstrate the wide appeal of the drink, Vultaggio. The list includes Jim Colbert, a member of the PGA Champions Tour with 20 victories and a member of the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame, and Mixed Martial Arts fighters Phil Baroni and Ben Henderson.

Chrome Citrus Blitz is produced in a Food and Drug Administration-approved plant in Italy, near Lake Como north of Milan. The company chose to manufacture and bottle the drink in Italy because of the authenticity it brings to the beverage, but also because it was assured of product availability, even if demand increased dramatically.

"Over here, we would have been a small fish in a big pond, but over there we're a pretty big fish," Napolitan said. "We know we can get the product."

Despite the increased shipping cost, Napolitan said being able to offer an authentic Italian beverage makes it worth the effort and eventually he thinks demand will make the added expense worthwhile.

Initially, the company is marketing to an Italian-American audience and, because it is Las Vegas-based, the casino industry. Vultaggio said target markets for expansion include major American cities, especially those with a large Italian-American customer base, such as New York.