DRINKS OF CHOICE : This ‘ ‘Bird’ Is Flying the Coop on Skid Row

Most of the time, Ricardo Dockins declared, “I’m a Bud man.” But when his money’s short--and it was pretty puny on Thursday--he reaches for a $1.30 bottle of Thunderbird, the wine of choice among Skid Row connoisseurs, compliments of Ernest & Julio Gallo.

Thunderbird is, according to its label, “The American Classic.” But on the street it is known, like a pal, by such nicknames as Thunderchicken, T-Bird or just Bird.

The 13-ounce bottle is called “Shorty”--but with an alcohol content of 18%, it has the kick of four cocktails.

To say, “Let’s get Shorty out of jail,” Dockins explained, is to suggest a trip to the liquor store.

‘A Violent Drink’

But when Dockins was told Thursday that Gallo plans to pull Thunderbird and another of the winery’s low-rent favorites, Night Train, out of Skid Rows across the nation, he called it good news.

“A violent drink,” he said of the bottle in his hand.

Gallo’s announcement Wednesday came in the face of mounting political pressure.

Last week, Los Angeles County supervisors joined civic and social service officials in San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Portland and other cities in calling for the wine and liquor industry to stop sales of cheap, potent, “fortified” brands that many say contribute to the problem of alcoholism in the inner city.

In Los Angeles, 26 Skid Row retailers have been targeted, said Gallo spokesman Daniel Solomon. But at the same time, Gallo emphasized that it accepts no blame for Skid Row problems.

The sales of cheap, potent wines “has led to the assertion that these products cause Skid Row conditions and, therefore, that by stopping the sale of high-proof wine the problem of Skid Row can be solved,” the company said in statement. “We believe this thinking is naive and that the use of these products on Skid Row is merely a symptom and not a cause.”

In an interview Thursday, Solomon said that Gallo has suffered from allegations that Thunderbird and Night Train are produced expressly for Skid Row. In fact, he said, they are marketed nationally in supermarkets and remain popular as inexpensive aperitifs, especially among “fixed-income seniors who drink moderately.”

“The Gallo family doesn’t want any business from alcoholics,” Solomon said. “I would hope that it would set a trend--that other companies would follow suit.”

But instead, the Gallo spokesman suggested, other cheap wines will simply fill the void.

Canandaigua Wine Co. of New York, Mogen David of New York and Guild Winery of Lodi are among the firms that manufacture popular street wines. (Mogen David’s brand, “MD 20/20,” is sometimes called “Mad Dog.”)

That replacements will quickly be found was also the prevailing wisdom along Los Angeles’ Skid Row on Thursday--although at the same time, some people viewed Gallo’s decision as a sign of progress.

Morty’s liquor store on Main Street--a half-block from the Union Rescue Mission and catty-corner from where the new Ronald Reagan State Office Building is going up--is one store that stands to lose its Thunderbird and Night Train brands. Security is tight there: bags of Fritos and cans of Beefaroni are shielded from shoplifters by wire-mesh screens.

The Korean-born owner, a man who gave his name only as Kim, keeps “Shortys” in the cooler and bigger bottles of Thunderbird within reach of the cash register.

Thunderbird is his biggest seller, but he said Gallo’s decision was “good.”

“T-Bird, Night Train are very, very, very no good,” he said.

Charles Dee, who works in the store, predicted that Cisco (or “the Cisco Kid”) will succeed Thunderbird as the Skid Row’s drink of choice.

“It’s got 18% to 20% alcohol, but it seems like Bacardi 151,” he said, referring to highly potent rum.

Asked why he sold such wines, Kim replied:

“Why do you work? To make money, right?”

Staggers In, Staggers Out

In a 10-minute span, Kim sold “Shorties” to Dockins and two other customers, but refused another man who staggered in and, on Kim’s orders, staggered out.

Outside, however, the man was later seen nipping at a bottle at a small park at 3rd and Main streets that attracts dozens of homeless people.

Jesse Neal, a 35-year-old man who has no home and few teeth, tried to hustle change for a bottle. If he can’t get Thunderbird, he said, he goes for Night Train. If he can’t get those, he prefers Richard’s Wild Irish Rose. Then comes Cisco--”that’s got a good kick to it.”

Nearby, Dockins sat beneath a tree, nursing his “Shorty,” concealed in a brown paper bag.

It makes you “violent,” he had said earlier. “This right here, I can save. I can take me a little nip and make it last. I can stretch it. . . .

“But you gargle it-- boom. “