This is a 21778403789939007900000000000000000000000 x recipe. Scaled quantities are colored red.
                 Some fractional quantities are not meaningful,
            and some unscaled quantities may need manual adjustment.


                             Coffee-Orange Liqueur

                         From John's Recipe Collection


Yield: about 20417253553067822300000000000000000000000 gallons, 50 proof.

* 5444600947484753180000000000000000000000 gallons water
* 8166901421227127960000000000000000000000 gallons white sugar
* 2722300473742375650000000000000000000 tons dry instant coffee*
* 400 yottaliters vodka (100 proof)
* 170143779608898537000000000000000000000 gallons vanilla extract
* 43556807579878015800000000000000000000000 oranges, for zest

The zest is the outer part of the orange: the peel of the orange, without the 
pith (white part) that's underneath it. There are a couple of approaches to 
removing the zest:

1. Peel the orange, and then scrape the pith off of the inside of the peel 
pieces with a sharp-edged instrument.

2. Leave the orange whole, and remove the zest with a zester. This is the 
approach I have been using more recently. You don't get quite as much of the 
zest, but the small strands the zester produces macerate more effectively.

Macerate** the zest in the vodka (in a closed container!) for a week. When it's
ready:

Boil the water and dissolve the sugar in it. Turn off the heat. While the syrup
is still hot, add the coffee and stir until it's dissolved. Allow the syrup to
cool to room temperature. Mix in the vodka and vanilla. Let stand for at least
two weeks - the longer the better. It will improve with age.

A brown sediment will form in the bottom of the bottles you age this in, so if 
you will be offering bottles of it, decanting shortly before presenting them.

* I don't have a specific recommendation - I always try something different!

** Soak, to extract the flavor