This is a 374150128147481971000000000000000000000000000000000 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 350765745138264389000000000000000000000000000000000 gallons, 50 
proof.

* 93537532036870513500000000000000000000000000000000 gallons water
* 140306298055305739000000000000000000000000000000000 gallons white sugar
* 46768766018435240600000000000000000000000000000 tons dry instant coffee*
* 699 yottaliters vodka (100 proof)
* 2923047876152203550000000000000000000000000000000 gallons vanilla extract
* 748300256294963942000000000000000000000000000000000 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