When I created Pinterest Fail back in 2012 I had no idea that it would be what it is today, but I am really enjoying the experience I’m gaining from running it. So much so that I decided to try my hand at starting another “niche site.”

And of course, as an ex-Mormon, what else could I do but start a site devoted entirely to cocktails? Ha! I’ve really enjoyed exploring the word of alcohol for the last 18 months, but have felt frustrated that so many mixed drinks rely heavily on sugar. Every time I want to mix up something I have to sort through 15-20 options, wondering whether the drink would be just as good with a reduction in the sweetener, before I find something with ingredients I have on hand.

Enter Hardly Sweetened. It’s a site devoted to showcasing low-sugar cocktails, and also a place for me to share what I’m learning about infusions, mixers, terms related to alcohol drinks (what’s it mean if my drink is straight up?), and classic cocktail recipes. If you’ve been hesitant to try your hand at mixing up cocktails at home, I hope that this site can act as a guide for you. And if you’re a mixologist extraordinaire maybe you have a favorite hardly-sweet cocktail recipe that you think I should try?

Click here to visit Hardly Sweetened

I’ve been putting a lot of work into the site in anticipation of the BlogHer conference this weekend and I would really appreciate your support as I try to build an audience for the site. Pin the recipes that interest you (click through to the actual posts to see the Pinterest-friendly image concept I designed!). Follow the @hardlysweetened Twitter account, check out the @hardlysweetened Instagram feed to see what drinks I’m working on before they go up on the site, submit your favorite hardly sweetened recipes via the contact form, and most of all, click over regularly to see what’s new!

I’ll be working hard on this for the next few months, which sometimes means hardly working since part of the job description means creating and sampling new cocktails for the site. I’m certainly not going to complain about that.

I admit, I’m nervous. Putting yourself out there and trying new things is hard! If you try any of my recipes (most on the site so far are recipes I made up myself!) I’d love to hear what you think about them. I don’t want my own content ending up on Pinterest Fail!