Baba au Rhum: Why am I not getting a good rum flavor?
Mmmmmm- I loves me a good Rum Baba!
I'd personally go with Myer's dark rum. In my experiences I've found Myer's Dark to have the best/ most intense rum flavor out there (yes, it's a little expensive).
I think boiling the alcohol off would heat the rum to a point where you're going to alter the delicious rum-ness!
Heating the rum a little and then igniting the alcohol vapor would suffice to eliminate the alcohol without disturbing the other flavors. Just be careful and if things take a turn for the worst- stop, drop, and roll!