Winter is coming on in a rush, which is all the more reason to seek some golden warmth. Last weekend we visited the spiffy Southern-inflected Kendall Square joint from chef Chris Parson. It’s called Lily P’s Fried Chicken and Oysters (50 Binney St., Cambridge, Mass.; 617-225-2900; lilypschicken.com). Located more or less in Coder Hollow amid the life sciences labs and condo warrens that now define Kendall, it has a bustling and inventive bar program to go along with the comfort food. Any bar where you can order pimento cheese and Ritz crackers to go with your drink is already steps ahead of the competition.

About that inventive bar — one of the perfect cold weather cocktails now headlining the menu is the Vermonster. The base is an unusual liquor, technically a ‶rock and bourbon.″ We popped in to see the man who invented the booze, Connecticut rock-star bartender (mixologist, if you want to be fancy about it) Justin Morales (right). His original Up n’ Down Rock and Bourbon and its seasonal Pumpkin Mash offspring, Up n’ Down Pumpkin Bourbon, are just now hitting Massachusetts and New Hampshire bars and liquor stores, thanks to distribution by Malden’s 21st Century Wine Co.

We like to think of the two whiskeys as modern re-interpretations of the classic rock ‘n’ rye. Notably, the Up n’ Down whiskeys start with a high rye mash (21% rye, 4% barley, 75% corn) bourbon that has an inherent spiciness. Morales’s recipe amps up the complexity with New England honey, various tree barks (including birch), and Mission figs. Sweet as any straight bourbon, the rock and bourbon has a lot of subtle nuances right out of the bottle. The pumpkin variant, bottled at 84 proof instead of 80, is blended with pumpkin, cherry bark, licorice root, maple syrup and bitters. We were surprised that it tasted less sweet than the original, possibly due to the higher proof.

We like both straight up or with a little ice, as in the photo at the top of the post. But Morales created them for cocktails at the bars he used to manage, so they’re also very mixer friendly. For recipes, see see the Up n’ Down website (savorupndown.com).