Winter Chocolate Liqueur

My friend Eric recently returned form Peru and brought me some cocoa beans. Thank you Eric! Opening the jar releases a complex and unmistakable smell. I spent a long time cracking them open by hand and picking out the dark shiny, jagged meat. There are quicker ways to do this, but I wanted to inspect them meditatively while listening to the radio on a snowy night.

Some of the beans really do have a purple color and remind me of Kalamatas. What to do with them? I followed a recipe for homemade chocolate liqueur from Epicurious that includes nibs, vanilla beans and the very flammable 151. I have to shake it every day for 21 days-away from heat and flame. Hopefully when I open the jar in three weeks I will be met with an intoxicating chocolate aroma (as one would imagine). I'll let you know.