Two "fifths" of vodka
Two pounds of dark-roasted coffee beans
13 oz. sugar
2.5 teaspoons vanilla extract

Steep the whole coffee beans in the vodka for about four weeks, in a sealed glass container, stirring or shaking every few days. Store in a dark place.

(Note: especially if the coffee beans you use are freshly roasted, the beans will seem to "bubble" for the first few days. They are most certainly not fermenting, though: they're just releasing the air contained in their interstices. It's best if the mixture fills as nearly as possible the jar you're using.)

Drain the vodka from the coffee beans through a colander; be patient and be sure the beans have given up all their juice. Then filter the mixture a few times through coffee filters or paper towels.

Dissolve the sugar in 13 oz. of hot water and add it to the liqueur. Then add the vanilla. You can use it right away, but it will mellow and improve if you let it age a few weeks and will keep indefinitely.