The skinny on no-carb cocktail mixes The skinny on no-carb cocktail mixes (March 23, 2005)

Robert Schilling comes up with a line of zero-cal drink mixes he calls 'crazy, skinny and fun'

By Jane Knoerle

Almanac Lifestyles Editor

He's been called a Renaissance man, a serial entrepreneur, even a guy who can't stay at a job for more than three years, but there's nothing Menlo Park businessman Robert E. Schilling says he enjoys more than taking something from concept to a product.

"I love the process," he says.

His newest venture is producing a line of zero-carb cocktail mixes. He's named the margarita mix "locarita." The cosmopolitan mix is "locapolitan." Mixer flavors include: original margarita, strawberry margarita, mango margarita and cranberry cosmopolitan. Each mix contains zero calories and zero carbohydrates.

Mr. Schilling came up with the no-cal concept last year when many of his friends had succumbed to the low-carb craze and were following the Zone or Atkins diet plans.

"There were so many drinks they couldn't order, including wine," he recalls.

He heard them wish for a way to have "a great-tasting cocktail without the calories."

A margarita, for example, can contain more than 500 calories and 50 grams of carbs. A cosmopolitan can contain more than 300 calories and 30 grams of carbs.

"I actually came up with the name (locarita) before I came up with the product," says Mr. Schilling.

To create his mixes, he hired a beverage technologist to develop the flavors.

"I went out and bought every margarita mix I could find. I discovered that most cocktail mixes don't taste good. My goal was to make a great-tasting mix. The taste became the most important thing, not the carb count."

No fresh juices could be used because of their carb count and because the product had to be "shelf stable." His mixers are made with natural flavors: lime flavor in the margarita mix is derived from the oil in the lime peel and from the zest. All the mixes are sweetened with the artificial sweetener Sucralose.

To achieve a perfect cosmopolitan, he says, the goal was to create a cocktail that tasted like the cosmopolitan served at the Rainbow Room in New York City. It is made with cranberry juice, triple sec, lime and vodka.

The "locapolitan" needs only the addition of vodka to reach this benchmark, according to Mr. Schilling. "It's a balance of sweetness and acidity."

The mixes also make a tasty non-alcoholic drink when mixed with soda water, he says.

The locarita products were launched last September and are being distributed by Southern Wine & Spirits. They are available locally at Draeger's in Menlo Park, Bianchini's in Portola Valley, and Roberts of Woodside.

Local restaurants serving the mixers include Nola's in Palo Alto, and gros and Mistral in Redwood City. The mixes are being served in some 125 restaurants and bars in the Bay Area, according to Mr. Schilling.
It runs in the family

Entrepreneurship and an interest in food products could be considered all in the family for Mr. Schilling. His great-grandfather, August Schilling, founded the Schilling Spice Co. in 188l.

"I've always been a food person," says Mr. Schilling, who grew up in Atherton, the son of Mike and the late Barbara Schilling.

After attending Lewis & Clark College, he studied at Tante Marie Cooking School in San Francisco for 18 months, then took classes in nutrition and food science at San Jose State University.

"I always thought there would be nothing better than to own a restaurant," he says.

However, after interning at Chez Panisse and Santa Fe Bar & Grill in Berkeley, he changed his mind. "It wasn't something that I wanted to have to do every night."

What he enjoys most is cooking for friends and family. For his wife Melanie's birthday he did a wine tasting for 60 people, pairing each of eight wines with eight different dishes.

He says one of his best parties involved hiring a taco truck, then setting up beer and margarita bars outdoors at his house.

"I could be having 40 people for dinner and I get my inspiration (on the menu) when I go to the grocery store at 2 p.m. that afternoon."

When he cooked for his parents' dinner parties, "I used to drive my mother crazy."

"My whole life has been a series of projects," says Mr. Schilling. They range from building a house on the coast of Maine to becoming president of a small software company. He has worked in the automotive and chemical industries and as a consultant.

"I go from Point A to Point B, then go on to something else. I like to work hard then take a long break," says Mr. Schilling.

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