"What is this magic?" I asked my friend Vikki when she handed me a red Solo cup at a Boise State tailgate a few years ago.  "It's legitimately the most delicious thing I've ever tasted!" 

The contents of that red cup? It was one of the first runs of LongDrop Cider Company Co.'s Harvest Hoarder Chai Hard Cider. I had seen LongDrop cider on tap at Winco and in cans at Whole Foods, but until that evening I had no idea they were based here in Boise (and that the owners were friends with my tailgating buddies.)  That evening began my love affair with LongDrop and I was so excited when they opened their Downtown Boise tasting room last year!

A year later?  LongDrop's engineering something that has never been done in the region! Taking a page out of the popularity of boxed wines like Franzia and Bota Box, they're releasing a special version of their hard cider in boxes! This run of cider is made from a blend of fermented organic and conventional fruits that the cidery harvested in Cashmere, Washington.  To make the cider as fresh as possible, they pressed the cider on-site in Washington. The only other boxed cider in the United States is "Crispin" (made by MillerCoors) and is made in California.

Want to try it and take home a box for yourself? They're releasing the first boxes for sale tonight during their First Thursday celebration! Stop by for the release party and enjoy live music from James Lewis.  If you want to make a family night out of it, you can grab dinner from Smoke & Thyme and treat the kiddos to some of LongDrop's fresh pressed Johnathan Apple Juice.

You can find LongDrop's tasting room at 603 S. Capitol Blvd across the street from the Boise Art Museum.  The release party is from 5-8 p.m.

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