The invention relates to a method and apparatus to carry out the method for extracting petroleum distillate products from alcohol. The inventive method capitalizes on the discovered property that petroleum distillates, such as xylene and limonene, can be dissociated from their tight molecular interaction with alcohol by their higher affinity for water. The method also capitalizes on the discovered property that limonene, in the presence of water, forms terpin hydrate, forming particles that can be removed by filtration. Other, non-limonene petroleum distillates, once dissociated from alcohol, can be removed by distillation.