The Boston Globe is reporting that the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission has suspended the liquor license of Julep Bar indefinitely after discovering in an April raid that the High Street spot had dangerous overcrowding--at least 440 people, with the allowed number being 280--as well as "numerous" underage women drinking alcohol. The article says that this is the third time the place has gotten in trouble for underage drinking since last November, and that regulators feel it is being run "in a dangerous manner which jeopardizes public safety." If the six part-owners of Julep Bar want the liquor license to be reinstated so it can reopen, they will all be required to meet with the commission together, according to the Globe. (At this point in time, there is no word on what the owners will decide to do, but for now, the bar is at least temporarily out of business.)
[July 6 update: The Globe article has a bit more information on the raids that took place at the Julep Bar over the past several months. Some of what investigators allegedly found include minors as young as 17 drinking at the bar (April raid); many underage women who had fraudulent identification cards from several Central American and South American countries, along with Puerto Rico (April raid); no one at the bar checking the IDs of the women (April raid); intoxicated underage patrons who were drinking (November and December raids); and emergency exits that had been illegally blocked (November raid).]
[July 15 update: A couple of ominous signs have appeared concerning the future of Julep Bar, as its website has been taken down and phone calls are no longer going through.]
The article mentions that one of the owners--Brian O'Donnell, who is the husband of TV design star Taniya Nayak--is also part owner of Broad Street Riot, a restaurant located in the same building as Julep that suspended operations earlier this week; it is not known if its closure is connected in any way to the suspension of Julep Bar's license.
Julep Bar first opened in November of 2011, taking over the space where Revolution Rock Bar had been.
The address for Julep Bar is 200 High Street, Boston, MA, 02110.
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