From the Drink of Doom to the Golden Ratio: Teaching Math You Can Taste

                                                     Image created with Canva AI.

In her article, Exploring Ratios and Sequences with Mathematically Layered Beverages, Andrea Johanna Hawksley explores how mathematical ideas such as fractions, integers, ratios, and density can be understood through the process of making beverages. She describes how simple ingredients like sugar and water can be used to experiment with ratios and observe how those relationships affect density. For example, mixtures with ratios such as three to five can be compared with others that use different amounts of sugar and liquid to determine which solution is more dense. When one mixture is poured into another, it quickly becomes clear whether the prediction about density was correct. If the liquids mix together, the densities are similar, but if one liquid remains layered on top of another, the difference in density becomes visible.

Hawksley also introduces the Fibonacci sequence as a way to design layered drinks. By carefully considering ratios and building the drink from the most dense layer to the least dense, it is possible to create distinct layers within the glass. As the ratios begin to approach the golden ratio, the drink itself becomes a physical representation of that mathematical relationship—suggesting that you could, in a sense, be “drinking the golden ratio.” Through these examples, Hawksley demonstrates how creating layered beverages can become a hands-on way to explore fractions, ratios, proportions, and mathematical sequences.

One idea that stood out to me while reading this article was how something as simple as making a drink can become a way to experience mathematical relationships in a tangible and visual way.

This article also brought up a wonderful memory from when I was a B.Ed. student. One of my cohort members created an amazing lesson on density that he called the “Drink of Doom!” It combined a dramatic story about what this mysterious drink might do if someone drank it with a visually stunning layered mixture that allowed students to see density in action. If I recall correctly, he even ended the demonstration by adding baking powder to the drink, which reacted with vinegar and caused it to dramatically erupt.

Moments like this are a good reminder that visual experiences that surprise us or capture our attention can be powerful teaching tools. They act as the hook that draws students in, especially those who may be reluctant or unsure about mathematics. Yet it often feels like those hooks get forgotten as we move from lesson to lesson and year to year. (And somehow, decade to decade—oy, I cannot believe I have been teaching for decades now.)

Reading this article also made me wonder how an activity like this could work practically in a classroom. A demonstration might be interesting, but it would likely be far more meaningful if students could experiment with the densities and ratios themselves. When would an activity like this be most impactful? Would it work best as a culminating experience, or as an exploration during a unit? I would love to see curriculum include more opportunities like this.

It also makes me wonder if I could create some of these opportunities myself. Perhaps I could look through the curriculum we currently use, Math Up, and see where activities like this might fit within each unit. Or perhaps I could start small—adding something like this to just one unit each term, as suggested earlier in the course, and slowly building a collection of experiences where students can see and feel mathematics in action.

When did you last surprise your students with mathematics — and when did mathematics last surprise you?

Where in your current curriculum do you think an activity like this could fit, and would you use it as an introduction, exploration, or culminating experience?